The Man I See
by Spunky0ne
Summary: When Ichigo sustains an injury that steals his vision, he begins to despair that the hero in him is gone, but more than one person is determined to help him find that hero again…yaoi, mpreg…Ichigo/Byakuya, Kisuke/Tetsuya, Renji/Uryu, Shunsui/Ukitake.
1. Hero of Soul Society

**The Man I See**

 **By Spunky0ne**

 **XXXXXXXXXX**

 _ **When Ichigo sustains an injury that steals his vision, he begins to despair that the hero in him is gone, but one person is determined to help him find that hero again…yaoi, mpreg…Ichigo/Byakuya, Kisuke/Tetsuya, Renji/Uryu, Shunsui/Ukitake.**_

 **XXXXXXXXXX**

 **Chapter 1: Hero of Soul Society**

 **(Before Aizen's fall)**

It wasn't unusual for emergencies to happen during the night. In fact, since becoming Karakura Town's Shinigami Substitute, Kurosaki Ichigo had grown used to being awakened by the red flashing eyes and warning buzz of the substitute badge he had been given. So, even though it was still before dawn and he'd only gone to bed about two hours before, he jumped awake immediately, grabbing Kon and thumping his back hard to remove the soul candy inside him.

"What the hell?" Kon yelled, his words ending in a guttural grunt as the soul candy flew out of his protesting mouth and Ichigo grabbed it and hastily swallowed it.

"Duty calls," the ginger-haired man said, watching as his soul separated from his human body, and the mod soul took over, "Just go back to bed and try to stay outta trouble. You hear me, Kon?"

"Yeah, yeah, I hear you," the mod soul yawned, following his master's departing form with sleepy eyes before he crashed down onto the bed, "Get outta here so I can sleep."

"Don't forget to go to school for me!" Ichigo called back, "I've got a science test today."

"Oh," Kon repeated sarcastically, "he's got a science test today. I hope there's a lab portion on the test. I'll have fun with that."

"Just don't blow up the lab this time, stupid!" Ichigo snapped back.

His flash step engaged and he left the house behind, heading down the street and into the park that ran along the river. A low mist hung over the water, creeping onto the banks, where it was whipped by the wind that the substitute's flash step caused. Ichigo hurried to the end of the park and turned onto another street, heading past a few closed shops before reaching Urahara Kisuke's candy store. He ran inside and flash stepped down the hallway, flying down the ladder, into the underground training room, where he found Kisuke, alert and waiting for him, alongside Kyoraku Shunsui and a deeply frowning Ishida Uryu.

"What are you doing here, Uryu?" Ichigo asked, "Did Kisuke call you?"

"No, I sensed something," his friend said vaguely.

Ichigo didn't miss the little smirk on Kisuke's face, but there was no time to ask about the situation as the shopkeeper quickly got down to business.

"Sorry to wake you, Ichigo," Kisuke apologized, "but a distress call came in from Hueco Mundo, and it requires someone with very strong reiatsu to handle it."

Ichigo nodded.

"What's going on?" he asked, narrowing his eyes.

"Juushiro, Byakuya, Renji and Byakuya's cousin, Tetsuya, were in a classified area, monitoring some really strange readings we were getting," Shunsui explained, "Seems that some of Aizen's creepy scientists are trying to mess around with something dangerous out there in the desert, a little ways away from Las Noches. From the last report I got in from Byakuya, they created a sort of tarry soup in a containment unit."

"Soup?" Ichigo repeated in a skeptical voice, "What the heck?"

"Well, it's not your everyday bowl of soup, kid," Kisuke went on, "This soup is made of the remnants of powerful souls that have been killed. They harvest the bits from the dead bodies of shinigamis they kill and comrades who fall in battle. The more powerful the souls were, the better. Then, they mix those parts with some weird compound one of their scientists dreamed up that pulls the strong reiatsu together and shapes it into whatever monster they program into the system. They hadn't had a successful test of the thing, and before they could, Byakuya and his crew went out to place a heavy seal on the compound so that they could destroy it. But something happened."

"What happened?" asked Ichigo, his eyes flaring aggressively, "Are they all right?"

"I don't know," Kisuke admitted, "I got a huge disruption, then nothing. Not a flicker from the group and the compound's gone silent too. I've got a really bad feeling about this, Ichigo. I want you two to head through the garganta and to the coordinates that I've given Uryu. Go there, reconnoiter and report back to Shunsui and me. Don't make a move until I know what we've got there, okay?"

"Got you!" Ichigo answered, "C'mon Uryu!"

Kisuke made a quick motion with his cane, and the three heard a tearing sound as the garganta opened in front of them.

"Now, remember, don't move until I tell you!" the shopkeeper called after them.

Ichigo showed a hasty thumbs up over his shoulder and kept on running. The shopkeeper watched the garganta close behind them, and he let out a jealous sigh at being left behind again.

"Good luck, kids."

"I hope they're careful," Shunsui added, "I don't know. Do you think I should've gone with them?"

"Nah," Kisuke replied, "You know old man Yama doesn't like that we've already risked two taichos and a fukutaicho on this mission. It leaves forces too thin in other areas and might give our old pal, Sosuke, a reason to poke at us."

"Yeah, I know," Shunsui admitted, pushing his straw hat back slightly with his fingers, "I just don't like that there hasn't been so much as a hell butterfly. I wonder what happened to them."

"Well, you know that those two we sent have got some powerful reiatsu and they've proven themselves. They'll be fine, Shunsui. They'll have that group back here in no time."

"Right," Shunsui agreed, "I'm sure they will."

 **XXXXXXXXXX**

Ichigo moved in blazing flash steps, laying out a thick path of his reiatsu as he and Uryu ran through the underground cavern, known as the garganta. Uryu frowned at having to make little leaps and course alterations to avoid the jagged little bumps his friend's power formed.

"Can't you make the path a little smoother?" the quincy complained, "You're making a mess!"

"Yeah, well, if you want to come up here and do this, you're welcome to try."

"That would only slow us down," Uryu sighed, "I admit that your flash step is faster than my hirenkyaku. Still, I'm worried I'll trip on all of these bumps."

"Sorry, I'm doing the best I can," Ichigo said ruefully.

"Yeah, I know," Uryu sighed, "It's just with your powerful reiatsu and lack of control…"

"Hey!"

Uryu smirked and moved faster.

"Say, Uryu," Ichigo said conversationally, "you said before that you sensed something. What was it you sensed that woke you up?"

The quincy considered for a moment, pushing his glasses up with a delicate finger as he continued running.

"You know that Renji and I have been helping out at Kisuke's shop and training together some?" Uryu asked.

"Right. So…?"

"So, because we've been training together, I have a sense of when Renji's reiatsu gets disturbed, kinda like I can sense disruptions in yours."

"Is it because Renji also radiates powerful reiatsu, like I do?" Ichigo asked.

"Eh, something like that," Uryu said cryptically.

Ichigo would have continued questioning, but his thoughts were interrupted as they reached the exit from the garganta and dropped down into Hueco Mundo. Uryu studied the landscape for a moment, reaching out with his senses.

"Kisuke said to head this way," he directed the substitute, "It shouldn't be far. He just wanted to make sure we landed in a safe area. Now, there are probably guards around here…a lot of them, so…"

He heard a flash step and suddenly realized he was alone.

"Damn it, Ichigo!" Uryu snapped, "Wait for me!"

He hurried after, carefully watching the landscape around him and drawing in reishi from around him to prepare for any fighting.

 _Weird. I still don't sense the group. I know they can't be far away, so I should be picking up something…especially from Renji, since we might be…_

"Uryu!" Ichigo called out from a short distance ahead of him.

 _Just yell like that and attract every hollow around for miles…_ Uryu thought dryly.

He caught up with the substitute and skidded to a stop, staring at the odd scene in front of them.

In the distance, four glowing pillars stood around what looked to be the hollow's containment unit. At the top of each pillar was a large glassy bulb that held suspended inside, a floating male body. Peering up at them, Uryu recognized one of the encapsulated forms.

"Renji!" he hissed.

Ichigo gave him a furtive glance.

"Are you sure?" he asked.

"Yes, I'm sure," Uryu said with certainty, "and see? There's Ukitake."

"Yeah!" Ichigo agreed, "and Byakuya and…? Who is that?"

"That must be Byakuya's cousin, who went along," Uryu deduced, "Tetsuya."

"They seem to be out cold," Ichigo observed, "Do ya think that's on purpose? What're they doing up there?"

"It looks like they're containing whatever's in that unit," Uryu reasoned.

"Well, we need to get them outta there," Ichigo said, starting to flash step away.

"Wait!" Uryu cautioned him, grabbing him by the arm, "Ichigo, I think they did this on purpose."

"Huh? They knocked themselves out on purpose? Why would they do that?" Ichigo asked skeptically, "In any case, the green fog in those globes looks dangerous!"

"Did you forget that Kisuke only told us to reconnoiter?" Uryu scolded him, "Besides, if they did set this up on purpose, it's probably because there was something even more dangerous being made in that containment unit. Look at all of the bodies lying around. Did you notice? Only some were affected by the shinigamis. Some of the reiatsu on these things is strong hollow reiatsu."

"Yeah, well I don't sense anything that you and I can't handle," Ichigo argued.

"But, they're using the power of four taichos to hold whatever it is back!" Uryu objected, "Maybe that tarry stuff is just hiding the reiatsu of whatever they saw in there!"

"Uryu, let me ask you something," Ichigo said, lowering his voice and taking on a deadly serious tone, "I want you to look at their faces. Look closely and tell me if you think that green gas in there is hurting them."

"Ah…!"

"I think maybe the four of them killed the guards and took over here," Ichigo postulated, "And then, they set up the pillars and surrounded the unit. I think that they were successful in trapping something in that containment unit that was trying to get out. That thing had already killed a bunch of the hollows that were working here, even before the shinigamis took out the rest of them. Our buddies contained whatever the thing was, but something went wrong. Don't you feel it?"

Uryu swallowed hard, staring at the pillars and the bodies that floated within the globes at the top of each.

 _Damn it! I think he's right. They look like something is attacking their sealing power. It is hurting them._

 _Renji…_

"We have to do something," Ichigo said firmly.

"But Shunsui…"

"Uryu, he was assuming that we'd have time to reconnoiter and go back to them. He wasn't thinking that the lives of Juushiro, Byakuya and the others would be directly in danger. And it's the understanding that, if they are in direct danger, we've been sent to protect their lives. That's part of our task too."

Uryu gritted his teeth and nodded.

"Yeah," he said gruffly, his voice full of misgiving, "You're right."

"Okay," Ichigo said, rising into the air so that he was hovering over the until and looking down into the tarry soup, "I'll keep an eye on this, and you do what you need to do to get our friends out of there."

"But…"

"They're not doing well. You can see that," Ichigo said sternly, "Get them out!"

"Right," Uryu said, using his hirenkyaku to rise up to the pillar that held Renji.

He extended his senses, reading the reiatsu of the globe and the green gas inside it.

 _Ichigo is right! The gas is attacking them. It's trying to wear them down. It's going to kill them if we don't do something fast! I have to break the globes to free them. It'll let out the gas, and when their power is removed, it will cause the seal to fail. I just hope that Ichigo can hold back whatever's in that soup until we can all get outta here!_

Uryu summoned his bow and aimed at the globe that held Abarai Renji. His heart pounded as he stared at the redhead's floating body and billowing, unbound red hair that streamed around him. Eerie green light cast odd shadows and gave him the creepy look of a zombie.

"Time to get you out of there," the quincy muttered.

He loosed a volley of carefully aimed arrows that struck the glass of the globe, shattering it and releasing the glass in an outward shower, aimed away from Renji's body. The shinigami dropped like a rag doll onto the floor of the chamber at the top of his pillar. Uryu rushed to his side, taking a moment to swiftly check his vital signs.

"Is he gonna be okay?" Ichigo called out.

"Yeah," Uryu panted anxiously, patting Renji's tattooed face, "He should come around, now that the gas is gone. But Ichigo, did you feel it? The seal is weakening. Watch that tank!"

"I got it!" Ichigo called back, "Get Byakuya and the others!"

"I will!"

Uryu moved to the next of the globes, carefully shattering the glass and freeing Juushiro, who collapsed on the top of his pillar. After checking to make sure the white-haired taicho was all right, he moved on to Byakuya's globe. As he reached the Kuchiki leader's globe, a powerful rumble went through the area.

"Uryu!" Ichigo cried out.

The quincy looked down into the tarry soup, and he felt his insides go icy and cold as long black tentacles shot out of the soup and began to wrap around the four pillars.

"Get them out of there!" Ichigo howled, drawing his sword.

"Ichigo, don't let that thing touch you!" Uryu warned him, "It's reiatsu…it's…it's really disruptive."

"I've got it!" Ichigo assured him, "Now, get them out of there!"

Uryu shattered the glass surrounding Byakuya and watched as the taicho collapsed onto the top of the pillar. He surged forward, grabbing Byakuya's fallen body and he carried it quickly down to a tall sand dune, set carefully back from the area. He returned and collected Juushiro, then Renji. As he returned for the last of the shinigamis, the area shook harder, and with no help from him, the globe around Tetsuya shattered. The slender body inside fell towards the floor, but as it did, another rumble shook the area, and the pillar began to crumble. Tetsuya's body tumbled towards the edge, looking to fall into the dangerous black muck.

"No!" Uryu shouted, running forward.

His breath caught as another black tendril shot out of the tarry soup, and it wrapped around Tetsuya's falling body. The tendril whipped back and forth, bringing the captured shinigami closer and closer to the black soup. Uryu fired a hail of perfectly controlled arrows that shot towards the tentacle, but as they approached it, they quivered in the air and went off course, some of them impacting the tentacle, but more of them falling uselessly to the ground. The tentacle dipped and as Ichigo and Uryu watched in horror, a nightmarish round, black mass rose out of the soup, opening what looked to be thousands of glowing eyes and focusing on Tetsuya's unconscious body. Its huge, fanged mouth opened, and a jarring shriek made the two young men cover their ears. Trapped in the grip of the beast's tentacle, Tetsuya came suddenly awake and began to struggle.

"Th-this creature can disrupt your f-focused reiatsu!" the trapped shinigami cried, "Don't use your sword. Just fight it with raw, unstructured power!"

As if to punctuate his words, Tetsuya's body began shimmer, radiating with the young man's rising power. Still holding him, the beast sensed he was about to escape and lowered the tentacle quickly towards its gaping mouth.

"No way, you bastard!" Ichigo howled, firing his body forward and loosing his power in a wild, uncontrolled wave.

It struck the beast in the face, causing the monstrous creature to flail its tentacles, sending Tetsuya's still trapped body into a perilous dance over the beast and its soupy lair. Tetsuya released the power he'd been gathering, sending it directly into the black tentacle that held him, making it explode. He flash stepped to the top of one of the swaying pillars and fired his reiatsu at the beast, while Uryu and Ichigo did the same.

The desert lit with their combined strength, and the horrible beast in front of them screamed in fury as it began to be overwhelmed. Desperate, it pulled in its tentacles, at the same time trying to snatch up one of the attacking enemies. Uryu and Tetsuya evaded the flailing arms, but as the monster's body swelled with their attack, one of the tentacles wrapped around Ichigo and pulled him towards the black soup.

"Ichigo!" Uryu and Tetsuya cried together, watching with terrified expressions as the beast's body exploded and their friend's body splashed down into the muck.

Tetsuya flash stepped to the edge of the containment unit, releasing what looked like a huge glob of water that sank into the soup and quickly fished out their friend. They retreated to the top of a distant hill, where they laid Ichigo's body on the ground with the others and Tetsuya swiftly examined him.

"What did that stuff do to him?" Uryu asked in a panicked voice.

"It's causing all kinds of disruptions in his body," Tetsuya said worriedly, "It was even infecting the waterform I used to free him. I had to be careful not to let it infect me. We need to get him back to Urahara Kisuke's shop quickly!"

Uryu looked from Tetsuya's battered face to the four unconscious men on the ground.

"These guys are gonna be okay," he reasoned, "I can protect them from anything that comes this way. We're far enough from that unit that, even if Aizen sends people, they won't be looking for us this far out. Get Ichigo back and send reinforcements."

Tetsuya's sapphire eyes looked down at Byakuya's unconscious form, then moved to look at Ichigo.

"Normally, I am bound to remain at my cousin's side," Tetsuya answered, "but given this…I know he would want me to take care of Ichigo. I will go, but…"

Uryu heard a little whinny and made a sound of surprise as a tall black Arabian stallion appeared in front of them.

"This is Arashi," Tetsuya explained, "He is bound to me, and he will assist you in protecting everyone until they wake. You will be safe."

"Thank you," Uryu said gratefully, "Now please, get Ichigo back to Karkura Town!"

Tetsuya nodded, then he used his power to wash the substitute's body carefully clean of any remaining muck from the containment unit. He lifted Ichigo's unconscious body over his shoulder and with a last nod of reassurance to Uryu, he flash stepped away.


	2. Disruption

**Chapter 2: Disruption**

Tetsuya flash stepped through the dark cavern, heading back from Hueco Mundo to Karakura Town with the famed Shinigami Substitute hung over one slender, strong shoulder. He frowned at continuing to sense what seemed like electrical disruptions in Ichigo's unconscious form.

 _I was only exposed to a small amount of the muck that was on the tentacle that grabbed me, and even I am feeling the effect. I would stop and check just how much disruption there is in my own body, but the more important thing right now is to get Ichigo back to Urahara's shop for treatment. We can worry about my lesser issues when we arrive._

 _I hope Ichigo will be all right. I don't like what I feel going on under his skin. I did wash away as much of the muck as I could, but he was completely immersed for at least thirty seconds before I snatched him out. I wonder what the cost will be._

Tetsuya made a sound of pain as an uncomfortable twinge went through his spirit centers, making his flash step fail briefly. He slowed and brushed a pale hand over his sweaty face

"Not much farther."

He wasn't sure if he meant to reassure the unconscious man he carried, or himself. He continued forward, employing his flash step as it returned and hurrying towards the Karakura Town exit. A sigh of relief escaped him as he passed through the open doorway and flash stepped down into the underground training room. His legs wobbled as he landed, and he felt a wave of dizziness pass through his head. He heard Kyoraku Shunsui give a little surprised gasp, then the sound of a flash step. Warm hands caught him as he collapsed and Ichigo was taken from his hands.

"What happened, Tetsuya?" the elder taicho asked.

The words echoed strangely in Tetsuya's head and his own words sounded garbled as he answered.

"S-some kind of t-toxin in the containment unit," he panted as Shunsui laid him on his back.

Tetsuya's head turned slightly to watch where Kisuke leaned over Ichigo's motionless body, "It causes disruption of…of…spirit centers. F-feels like little sh-shocks. I was only exposed to a s-small amount, but Ichigo…"

"It's okay. We're gonna take good care of you and Ichigo," Kisuke promised.

He exchanged wary glances with Shunsui and called for Tessai. His mustached comrade appeared a moment later.

"Boss?"

"Go and bring Orihime and get things ready. We're likely to have more injured!"

"Got it!"

Kyoraku bent over Tetsuya, gently working to stabilize his skittering reiatsu.

"Where are the others?" he asked softly.

"Byakuya-sama and the others are b-being watched over by Ishida Uryu and my Arashi," Tetsuya reported, "Arashi assures me that they are unharmed, except Ukitake Taicho, my cousin and Renji are unconscious from noxious gas."

"Oh, I didn't know Aizen got up this early," Kisuke quipped.

"Byakuya-sama…" Tetsuya panted weakly, "n-needs to be evacuated!"

"Take it easy," Shunsui said soothingly, "I'll send someone right away to go and get them."

"Arigato," Tetsuya whispered, closing his eyes.

"That's right," the taicho said approvingly as he whispered a brief command into a hell butterfly and sent it winging away, "rest now."

"Is he doing all right?" asked the shopkeeper in a worried voice.

"Yeah, he's got some little shocks going on in his body, but he's stable. How is Ichigo?"

Kisuke sighed worriedly.

"Not good," he reported, "Damn it! What was he doing, going in and fighting that creepy shit when I told him to wait and reconnoiter?"

"Ichigo being Ichigo," Shunsui surmised.

"That's why I thought it was a good idea to send Uryu along, although, I shoulda known he couldn't hold Ichigo back for long."

"Well, it could just be that he saw the others in trouble and felt he had no choice," Shunsui suggested.

"Yeah, well, his bar for _having no choice_ is set a little low, if you know what I mean."

"I guess I do," Shunsui said ruefully.

"I just hope it doesn't take Orihime long to get down here."

"We've been working her pretty hard," Shunsui sighed, "Between Aizen and his Espadas and creepy scientists, we've all been kept very busy. Would you like me to get a message to Retsu? I'm sure she'd be willing to lend a hand."

Kisuke studied Ichigo's body closely for another minute, then looked up at Kyoraku and nodded.

"Yeah," he said unhappily, "I think we'll need her help with this."

He looked down at his hands, then back at Ichigo.

"I'm even considering talking to Mayuri."

"Now, you know Ichigo doesn't like _him_ getting involved," Shunsui cautioned him as he prepared and sent a second hell butterfly.

"Yeah, and he rubs Uryu the wrong way too."

"For very understandable reasons," Shunsui said, shaking his head.

Kisuke made a sound of relief as Orihime appeared on the ladder that ran down into the training room.

"Ichigo!" she called out as she let go of the ladder and dropped more quickly into Kisuke's waiting arms.

"Thanks for getting here so fast," the shopkeeper said hastily, setting the young woman on her feet.

"Soten Kisshun!" Orihime exclaimed, raising a healing oval over Ichigo's body.

She escaped Kisuke's arms and ran to Ichigo's side, where she knelt to continue her efforts.

"What happened to him?" Orihime asked urgently.

"He fell into some really nasty muck that's wreaking havoc on his insides," the shopkeeper explained, "You'll probably encounter some resistance because of the thickness and chaotic nature of the reiatsu involved here."

"I'll heal him!" Orihime insisted, "It'll be fine."

"Right," Kisuke said, glancing warily at Shunsui, "I'm sure you're right."

He moved to join the eighth division taicho as Shunsui continued to heal Byakuya's unconscious cousin.

"How's he doing now?" the shopkeeper asked.

"Not well, but he's holding his own," Shunsui sighed worriedly.

"And he was just barely exposed," Kisuke said, shaking his head, "This muck is wreaking all kinds of havoc on him, and Ichigo was immersed in that stuff."

He stole a glance to where Orihime remained kneeling beside Tessai at Ichigo's side.

"This is not going well at all," he said, shaking his head, "I really hope the others weren't touched by this stuff."

"From what Tetsuya said, it doesn't sound like they were," Shunsui speculated.

"Let's hope not," Kisuke replied, touching his fingertips to Tetsuya's bared lower abdomen, just below the navel, "If even a small exposure poses this much danger to a person's spirit core, we're going to be in trouble, trying to handle multiple victims."

"Well, we should be getting word from the team I sent to retrieve the others soon," Shunsui assured him, "If we don't, I'll go out there, myself, to make sure everyone gets back here okay."

"Thanks."

Kisuke studied the monitor he was using to examine Tetsuya, then he returned to Orihime for several minutes. He shook his head in frustration.

"Tetsuya's stable, and he's showing signs of reaction when I stimulate his spirit core, but not his spirit centers. It's like they've shut down! He's got reiatsu circulating, but his powers have been completely negated. And Ichigo's even worse! His spirit core is showing signs of damage."

"The thick reiatsu that he absorbed is very unstable!" Orihime said anxiously, "I'm keeping his body from shutting down, but his spiri t centers aren't functioning and his organs are being damaged, even while I'm healing him!"

"It's like putting out a bunch of little fires," Tessai said, wiping sweat from his brow, "We are barely staying ahead of it!"

"Keep working at it!" Kisuke directed the two as he lifted Tetsuya's unconscious body into his arms, "I'm taking Tetsuya to the lab. He's less affected, so I might be able to use what I see in him to figure out what to do with Ichigo! Shunsui, as soon as Unohana taicho arrives, have her help them. We've got to get a handle on this quick, or people are gonna start dying!"

 **XXXXXXXXXX**

Uryu knelt on the dark sand under Hueco Mundo's crescent moon, quietly monitoring the three unconscious shinigamis left in his and Arashi's care. The stallion stood nearby, his ears perked and his senses working to pick up any sign of approaching danger. He looked in the direction of the containment unit as a group of hollows approached it and began to examine the destroyed unit and the area around it.

"Fan out and look around!" the leader shouted, "There are remnants of shinigami power. Obviously, they killed everyone here and destroyed the unit and its contents!"

The tall black Arabian moved closer to the quincy and the unconscious shinigamis and bowed his graceful head, invoking a power that seemed to make their bodies fade from view.

 _I have used my master's ability to conceal all of us,_ Arashi thought, making the words sound in a soft, wispy voice in Uryu's mind, _however, we are vulnerable to direct light, so whatever power you have, keep it ready._

"Okay," Uryu whispered, readying his bow.

The two watched carefully as hollow soldiers fanned out around the containment unit, searching carefully for any sign of the enemy's passage.

"Thank goodness for the sand and breeze," breathed the quincy, "If it wasn't for that, we'd be a lot easier to find. But, I think we're far enough away that they won't come near."

He was momentarily distracted as one of the shinigamis coughed and started to stir.

"Renji!" Uryu hissed softly, moving to the redhead's side and watching as his cinnamon colored eyes opened and struggled to focus.

"Th'fuck?" Renji mumbled incoherently, "Ow! My head…"

"Shh," Uryu admonished him, leaning over him and placing a hand on his forehead in an attempt to quell the pain, "Enemies are nearby."

Renji's hazy eyes found Uryu and he swung out a clumsy hand that tried to grab the quincy and drag him down.

"What are you…?" Uryu began, only to find his breath taken away as the redhead's mouth found his and clamped down indulgently, trapping him in a warm, wet kiss, "Mmph, stop!"

Uryu smacked his hand away, ducking it as it swung back in his direction.

"Idiot!" he hissed softly.

"C'mere, beautiful," Renji said, slurring the words, "I wanna kiss s'more."

"You don't know what you're saying, or who you're talking to," Uryu complained.

He made a sound of surprise as the stallion that had been watching from nearby suddenly loosed a splash of water from his nose and mouth, splattering the redhead and making him sit up and swear profusely.

"What th'hell? Th'fuck're you doing?" he sputtered.

"Will you _shut up_?" Uryu seethed, grabbing Renji's head and turning it in the direction of the searching enemies, "Those guys are looking for us, and if you keep yelling, they're going to find us and kill us!"

Renji coughed and spat the remnants of the water out of his mouth as he glared at the stallion, who gave an equine snicker and twitched his ears in amusement.

"Very funny, Fleabag!" the redhead huffed, keeping his voice lowered.

He blinked and looked from Byakuya to Juushiro, then back at Uryu.

"Are they all right?" he asked anxiously, "I remember that we had just finished setting up the pillars to seal that thing, when tendrils came out and wrapped around the pillars. Then…there was that green stuff that invaded the pillars."

"It knocked you out, but everyone should be all right."

"Where's Tetsuya?" Renji asked, "He's…"

"Kuchiki Byakuya's cousin?" Uryu asked, "He left the horse to protect us, and he took Ichigo back for healing."

"Ichigo was here?" Renji asked, looking around warily, "He was hurt?"

"We were trying to rescue you guys, and the thing in the containment unit went nuts. It started breaking the pillars as I was getting you out. One of the tentacles grabbed Tetsuya and Ichigo and I were trying to help him. We destroyed the thing, but Ichigo fell into that black gunk."

"Shit!" Renji gasped, "That's really bad. Taicho said that it's deadly!"

"Right, that's why Tetsuya took Ichigo back, and I stayed here with Arashi to protect the rest of you," Uryu explained, "Tetsuya said they'd send help, but since you're awake now, we can put the two unconscious men on Arashi and go back on our own."

"Sounds good to me," Renji agreed, "I think it's best if we get the hell outta here. Now, you said you destroyed the thing in the containment unit?"

"Yeah," Uryu assured him, "We pretty much obliterated the unit, and most of the muck burned away. The thing's out of commission, at least for now."

"Good," Renji sighed, glancing back in the direction of the unit and shuddering, "I'll tell you, Aizen's got them doing some really creepy shit out here."

"You can say that again," Uryu agreed, "But, come on. We need to get these two back to Karakura Town."

"Whaddya say, Fleabag?" Renji inquired, arching a tattooed eyebrow, "You gonna just stand there, looking horsey, or are you gonna carry your weight?"

"Do you really want to aggravate him like…?" Uryu began.

Renji made a sound of disgust as the horse sprayed him with water again, before moving closer and allowing Uryu to place the unconscious men on his back.

"Asshole…"

"I get the feeling you two are old friends," Uryu said dryly, "I see he likes your jokes about as much as I do."

"All right, you little _horse pie_ , you remember what Tetsuya said about you screwing around on missions. He especially wouldn't like it if you put Kuchiki taicho in danger with your bad behavior, would he?" Renji growled.

Arashi's blue eyes narrowed and he gave a low growl, stamping a dainty foot.

"Yeah, I'm gonna tell him!" Renji snapped, "You keep this up, Tetsuya won't being you on these missions anymore, and good riddance!"

"I think you're taking this a little too hard," Uryu said, looking amused, "It was just a little water."

"Yeah?" Renji said irritably, "See how you like it when he sprays it all over you!"

"He was nothing but nice to me," Uryu said, shrugging, "He was real helpful, watching over everyone and giving us cover until you woke up and…"

He paused, blushing as he recalled Renji's dazed kiss.

"And well…whatever! Let's go, before those stupid hollows figure out we're here," the quincy sighed, falling in at Arashi's side.

Renji took up a position on the other side of the horse as they headed towards Karakura Town.

"Are Kuchiki taicho and Ukitake taicho going to be okay? I mean, I woke up faster then they did."

"Arashi and I both looked at them and sensed their reiatsu. You can see for yourself. They were just knocked out. It has been a long time."

"Maybe the idiot, here, should shoot water at them too."

"I think we should just let them wake up naturally, don't you?" Uryu said, looking amused, "I don't think your taicho would be in a good mood, getting water squirted in his face, and Arashi just might tell him it was your idea."

Renji scowled.

"Yeah, he probably would do that, come to think of it," he sighed.

"Seriously, what did you do to make Tetusya's horse dislike you so much?"

"Eh…" Renji said, reaching up to scratch the back of his neck, "I asked Tetsuya out on a date."

A little laugh escaped the quincy before he could stop himself.

"Seriously, Renji?"

"Shut up!"

"Did he say yes?"

"I said shut up!" Renji snapped, "and he said no…just a lot more politely than that shithead."

Uryu smirked.

"I think he's kind of cute."

"You would."


	3. Aftermath

**Chapter 3: Aftermath**

Shunsui knelt quietly at his white-haired comrade's bedside, watching over Juushiro as the other taicho shifted and began to wake. He smiled in greeting as the other man's eyes opened and blinked, then came to rest on him.

"How are you feeling, Juushiro?" Shunsui asked, pouring out a cup of hot green tea for him and handing it to him as he sat up.

Juushiro accepted the tea and sipped at it silently for a moment before sighing and giving his answer.

"I guess I feel all right. That was some very noxious gas we inhaled," he commented.

"You're lucky it wasn't more poisonous," Shunsui replied, "You were dealing with some very nasty stuff out there. Ichigo managed to get dunked in that containment unit you were sealing away, and young Tetsuya was splashed."

"Ichigo was immersed?" Juushiro repeated, giving his friend an alarmed look.

"Yeah, and it looks very serious," Shunsui continued, "They've got Kisuke, Tessai, the human girl and Retsu all taking turns working on him. They're keeping him alive, but we need to come up with something to stop the encroachment of the disruptive reiatsu that's affecting those two."

"Well, maybe I should be in there, helping," Juushiro said, starting to climb out of the bed.

"Hey, hold up there," Shunsui objected, laying a hand on his arm, "You know, you just woke up after being exposed to some nasty stuff, yourself."

"Oh, that wasn't nearly as bad as whatever was in that unit," Juushiro asserted, "Aizen's scientists were cooking up something unimaginable out there! Do you know if Ichigo was able to destroy it?"

"He was," Shunsui said bracingly, "It's toast now, so you need to relax and just get better, okay?"

Juushiro gave him a petulant look.

"Now, old man Yama wouldn't approve of you being so reckless with your health, would he?"

"I'm fine," the white-haired taicho said firmly, "and I have knowledge that could be helpful to the investigation and to Ichigo's treatment."

"At least, let me help you a little, so you don't pass out again," Shunsui argued, "You're still looking kind of bad."

Juushiro felt a warm swell of gratitude at his longtime friend's insistence.

"Thank you," he said, smiling and accepting the other taicho's hand.

Shunsui's arm wrapped around him and he supported his friend as the two left the guest room and headed for Ichigo's room, where they found Unohana taicho and her fukutaicho kneeling beside Ichigo, with Rukia and Byakuya kneeling on the other side and adding their reiatsu to the healing.

"Juushiro," the fourth division taicho greeted the white haired taicho, "it's good to see you up and around. How are you feeling?"

"Oh, I'm much better now," Juushiro assured her, "How is Ichigo doing?"

"We are managing for the moment," Retsu sighed, "and Kisuke is working hard to find some treatment that will stop the internal disruption that's going on."

"Well, if anyone can figure this out, Kisuke can," Shunsui said bracingly.

"He has been examining Tetsuya for hours," Byakuya said worriedly, "and my cousin was only splashed with the compound."

"I wonder how things are going in there now," Rukia said, shaking her head.

"I don't know," Unohana confessed softly, "but we are treading water here. We can keep him stable with all of us taking turns working with him."

"Which reminds me, it's time for me to go and wake Orihime," Rukia said, standing.

"You've been here with Ichigo for quite awhile, yourself, Kuchiki taicho," Retsu noted, "You should probably go and get some rest too."

"In awhile," Byakuya said quietly, continuing to keep a steady stream of his reiatsu pouring into Ichigo's body, "I am not overly weary."

"You will be, if you keep burning the candle at both ends like you are," Shunsui commented.

"Kyoraku Taicho is right," Unohana said, turning her bright smile on Byakuya and raising her reiatsu warningly, "You should go and rest."

Byakuya flinched very slightly.

"Very well. Please inform me immediately if there are any changes."

Shunsui and Juushiro exchanged curious glances as the Kuchiki leader left the room.

"He's showing a lot of concern for Ichigo, isn't he?" Juushiro noted.

"Yes," Shunsui agreed, smirking, "it seems he is."

XXXXXXXXXX

Kisuke bent over Kuchiki Tetsuya's unconscious and naked body, running a sensor slowly over his torso, then pausing to record the readings. He touched several places on the young man's chest and abdomen, sensing the spirit centers and studying them closely.

"After repeated infusions and stimulations, there is still no return of function in the spirit centers," he said into a recording device, "The subject's spirit core is not impacted, luckily, so that is circulating reiatsu to keep the subject alive. Reiatsu is currently too low for subject to return to Soul Society."

He sighed wearily and turned his attention to a nearby computer, where he swiftly entered collected data and waited as a program read and interpreted the information.

"Electrical disturbances in the subject splashed with the compound are persistent, but not deadly. The disturbances within the immersed victim are still life threatening."

Kisuke typed faster, his fingers flying over the keyboard and his eyes so intent that he missed when the young naked man lying on the examination table flinched, then began to wake. Tetsuya's blue eyes opened and blinked sleepily, then they looked up at the lab's white ceiling before shifting to look down at his body, which had been restrained, so as not to fall off of the table.

A distant memory flashed darkly in the young man's mind.

 _He shivered as he laid, restrained on his back on the cold, hard table in the prison laboratory, with an even colder-eyed prison scientist preparing a syringe. He moved in to inject the compound in the syringe as Tetsuya cringed away from him._

" _Hold still," the man said, grabbing his arm roughly._

 _The syringe touched Tetsuya's flesh, but was suddenly stopped as a black-haired, black-eyed man entered the room._

" _What are you doing to him?" the man demanded, "Tetsuya belongs to me!"_

" _He is a breeder male," the scientist said icily, "We have confirmed the presence of a spirit chamber, and the order came to euthanize him."_

 _A swift flash step sounded and the scientist froze as the black-eyed man's sword touched his throat._

" _Touch him and you are a dead man."_

 _He slashed the bonds holding Tetsuya down and yanked him roughly off the table._

" _Go to my chambers and wait for me there," the man ordered him._

 _Tetsuya quivered at the sharp tone of the man's voice, but he started towards the door, only for it to open and two more men to enter._

" _Orochi-sama!" Tetsuya said fearfully, backing up to his wicked cousin as the men moved towards them._

" _Orochi," said one of the two, "you know the standing order for breeder males is death. We've been ordered to carry out the sentence immediately! Breeder males are an abomination, and they are not allowed to live!"_

" _Touch him and you will not live another minute," Orochi snapped, his eyes glinting as his sword glowed with black light, "I told you. Tetsuya belongs to me. His fate is in my hands. I determine when he dies."_

 _Tetsuya shivered hard as Orochi's arm wrapped possessively around him._

" _Don't worry, little slave boy," Orochi whispered, "Stay close to me and you will live."_

Tetsuya gasped and started to struggle, his heart pounding and setting off several monitors.

"Whoa! Hey, it's all right," Kisuke said, turning back as the monitors complained loudly.

He hastily released the restraints and handed the brightly flushed shinigami a soft, warm, blue yukata.

"Sorry," he apologized, "I only had you restrained, so that you wouldn't fall."

"And I was naked because?" Tetusya asked shakily, wrapping the yukata around his slender body and holding it closed with quivering hands.

"I'm really sorry," Kisuke said sincerely, "I'm trying to find a way to help Ichigo. I've been working on this all night. See, I've been able to stabilize you, primarily because, only being splashed with the compound, your spirit core was not damaged. Ichigo was immersed in the stuff, so it did more damage. I'm studying how you are recovering, so that I can try to devise a way to improve Ichigo's condition."

"Oh," Tetsuya said softly, looking down at his hands, "My apologies for reacting that way."

"I should have at least covered you," Kisuke said, shaking his head, "I apologize for my bad manners."

"It's fine," Tetsuya said, shivering again.

Kisuke moved closer to him and Tetsuya looked quietly up at the shopkeeper.

"How are you feeling?" he asked kindly, "Are you hurting anywhere?"

"I'm not hurting," Tetsuya answered calmly, "I'm mostly just unsettled because I don't like places like this."

The shopkeeper paused, frowning.

 _That's right. Tetsuya was victimized by scientists at the noble's prison where he and his parents were incarcerated while Tetsuya was a boy._

 _Shit…_

"Why don't you let me show you to a guest room?" the shopkeeper said, feeling a guilty twinge at Tetsuya's discomfited expression.

He paused again and sighed.

"Actually, we're out of rooms…but…you can use my room, since I'm not going to be sleeping tonight anyway. Come on…it's Tetsuya, right?"

"Yes, Urahara-san," Tetsuya answered solemnly.

He followed the shopkeeper out of the laboratory and to a room right next to it.

"I have to have a room right here, or I would just live in that lab and never sleep," Kisuke joked.

Kisuke opened the door to the bedroom.

"Bed's freshly made and you can have a shower, if you like, in the bathroom. Towels are in there, and you can borrow one of my yukatas for after."

"Thank you, Urahara-san," Tetsuya said, lowering his blue eyes.

Tetsuya shuddered as Kisuke's hand touched his arm, then the shopkeeper noticed his reaction and withdrew his hand.

"I'm really sorry about before," Kisuke apologized again, "I was so focused on Ichigo that I was careless about everything else."

"It's fine," Tetsuya assured him, heading for the bed, "I'm just very tired."

He climbed into the bed and Kisuke sat down beside it.

"Tetsuya, about your own condition, I want to make you aware that your spirit centers are currently unable to channel reiatsu properly."

Tetsuya's face paled.

"What?"

"Your spirit core was not damaged, so you are able to channel reiatsu there to keep you alive…but, you will not be able to return to Soul Society for now."

"I…can't go home?" Tetsuya asked fearfully, "I have to…?"

"You are going to have to stay here, in the living world, until I can figure out how to restore your spirit centers to suitable functionality to allow you to return. If you tried to go back in this condition, your body couldn't handle the heaviness of the reiatsu around you. You would be crushed."

"Does Byakuya-sama know?" Tetsuya asked, "Byakuya-sama is all right, isn't he? He got back safely?"

"Yeah, he got back safely, as did the others. The rescue group found them in the precipice world as they were returning. Byakuya and the others are fine now, and I think I heard they are awake. Your cousin was in the lab several times to check on you. Rukia too."

"Hmm."

"I haven't told him yet that you can't go back, but I will now. You just get some rest."

"I've been out cold for a long time," Tetsuya said, looking slightly amused, "I'm not so tired."

"You want some tea?" Kisuke offered.

"Tea would be good," Tetsuya answered, settling in the bed, "Thank you, Urahara-san."

"Call me Kisuke," the shopkeeper insisted, "And Tetsuya, you are welcome to stay here at the shop, if you want. In fact, I want you close, since I am still looking for answers that can help Ichigo."

"That's kind of you," Tetsuya answered, "I will try to help in any way I can."

"Don't you worry," Kisuke said bracingly, "I'm going to help Ichigo and you. It may take some time, but I will find the answers we need."

"I know you will," Tetsuya said, nodding, "Byakuya-sama trusts you, so I do also."

"And I'll make sure that trust is well-placed," Kisuke promised.

XXXXXXXXXX

Renji snorted and came awake suddenly and his cinnamon eyes opened and scanned the room he was in.

 _Kisuke's place. That's right. We stumbled in here and I crashed hard. I don't even know how long I was sleeping. I wonder if the others are awake yet._

He sat up, then realized suddenly that he wasn't alone in the room. Uryu's slender form was tossed carelessly on the sofa on the other side of the room.

 _Oh, right, there were a lot of people here because of the crap that happened in Hueco Mundo._

 _I wonder if Taicho is awake yet._

He climbed out of the bed, wrapping his yukata more tightly around himself and retying it. Heading out into the hallway, he started towards the room where Ichigo was being treated. He was almost there, when Byakuya suddenly exited the room and came face to face with him.

"Taicho!" he exclaimed softly, keeping his voice lowered, so as not to wake any of the sleeping guests, "You're awake. That's great!"

"I have been awake for several hours," Byakuya replied, frowning at him, "Ichigo, however, is still unconscious, and it is taking quite some effort to keep him alive."

Renji sobered.

"He's that bad, huh?" he said worriedly.

"I am afraid so," the noble confirmed, glancing back at the door he had just come out of, "Unohana taicho and her fukutaicho have arrived and have added their power to our efforts, but we are forced to hope that Urahara Kisuke comes up with some answers soon."

"I'm sure he will," Renji said, his tone indicating an effort to convince himself as well as the man he was speaking to, "Kisuke has an answer for everything. He'll find a way to do this too."

"I hope so," Byakuya said, lowering his eyes, "or we are going to lose…"

He paused, as though searching for the proper words.

"…a powerful ally and friend to Soul Society," he finished.


	4. The Hope That Comes From Small Places

**Chapter 4: Hope Comes in Small Places**

Tetsuya slipped quietly out of Kisuke's bedroom and stepped into the hallway, pausing to look around and sense his elder cousin's direction. He headed down the hallway, to another guest room and found the door open.

Within the room, Unohana taicho and Ukitake Taicho knelt, infusing Ichigo's unresponsive body with their reiatsu. Byakuya knelt on the other side with Rukia beside him. Tetsuya crossed the room and knelt on Byakuya's other side. The Kuchiki leader gave him a stern look.

"Tetsuya, I know you were given an order to rest. Why are you disobeying that order?" he chided his cousin.

Tetsuya shifted very slightly, but made no move to leave.

"I only plan to stay for a few minutes," he explained, "I wanted to see how you and Ichigo are doing."

"I am fine," Byakuya replied, "I had inhaled the noxious gas, but I was not otherwise harmed."

"How is Ichigo?"

Byakuya sighed, exchanging glances with the other two taichos.

"We are barely staying ahead of it," he answered dispiritedly, "And while we can keep him in this state for a very long time, we need to do more."

"Kisuke has been working tirelessly to find a way," Juushiro added.

"I believe he will find an answer," Retsu said solemnly.

"Doesn't he always find a way?" Juushiro said, giving the others a little, encouraging smile, "Retsu is right. He'll find a way…and until he does, we can keep Ichigo stable."

Byakuya studied the others for a moment.

"I know you both realize that Yamamoto sotaicho is not likely to want four taichos distracted from protecting the Seireitei while Aizen is such a threat to us. As much as he acknowledges Ichigo's value to Soul Society, he feels that we can't cluster our forces, but need to deploy them more strategically."

"You say that like you disagree with him," Juushiro said, smirking very slightly.

Byakuya gave him a disapproving look.

"Whatever my own inclinations," he answered stiffly, "I am not making the decision."

The four gathered around Ichigo looked up as Tessai entered the room, alongside Orihime, Jinta and Ururu.

"We are here to relieve you," the mustached man told them, "I have left food for you in the kitchen, so please eat before you go to rest."

"Thank you," Retsu said, rising with the others.

They headed out, into the hallway, stopping as the lab door at the end of the hall opened and Kisuke emerged, looking weary and slightly agitated. But, he smiled when he saw the others in the hallway.

"Byakuya, Tetsuya, I was just going to go looking for you."

"Looking for us?" Byakuya repeated, "Why?"

"I'll need you to come to the lab so that I can show you. Will you be all right waiting a little longer to eat?"

"We will be fine," Byakuya answered as the others headed into the kitchen and Byakuya and Tetsuya moved to join him.

Kisuke smiled warmly at Tetsuya, eliciting a little, annoyed flicker in Byakuya's reiatsu.

"Are you feeling all right, now?" the shopkeeper asked the younger Kuchiki, "You get some good sleep?"

"Yes, thank you," Tetsuya said politely, "It was kind of you to share your room with me."

The flicker in Byakuya's reiatsu flared.

"Tetsuya, you slept with…?"

"Ah, Byakuya-san, relax," Kisuke chuckled, "It was only because he needed to rest, but we were out of beds. I was hardly in the room at all. No harm done. I promise."

Tetsuya blushed and Byakuya gave the shopkeeper a smoky glare, but didn't answer.

"Anyway," Kisuke went on, "if you'll come with me, I'll show you what I came up with."

Byakuya's frown deepened.

"If you are giving an update, why not include the others involved in Ichigo's care? What are you up to, Urahara Kisuke?"

"Now, why do you think I'm up to something?" Kisuke chuckled.

"Because my instincts say you are," Byakuya said, narrowing his eyes, "I get the feeling you have chosen to speak to Tetsuya and me alone because you have something unpleasant to say, and you do not wish to do this in front of the others."

"Eh," Kisuke said, reaching up to scratch the back of his neck, "I wouldn't call what I have to say unpleasant. I guess I'd just say that it involves a decision that needs to be made, and since that decision is in your hands and Tetsuya's, I wanted to give you privacy to hear what I have to say, then to give me an answer."

"An answer about what?" Byakuya asked impatiently, "You know that Ichigo's condition is critical right now. You also know that Sotaicho is not going to let four taichos and two fukutaichos remain clustered here, away from our home base, while Aizen is preparing for war."

"I'm aware," Kisuke assured him.

"Then, if you have an answer to Ichigo's situation, you need to stop wasting time and explain it," the Kuchiki leader said stridently, "We need to employ it quickly."

"Easy," Kisuke said, giving him an amused look, "I'm getting to that, but you have to know, what I've found suggests a treatment that is going to require something pretty…well, extreme."

"Extreme?" Byakuya repeated, "How extreme? What, exactly, are we talking about, here?"

"Come on," Kisuke said, leading the two into the lab and closing the door, "I'll show you."

He led them to a monitor, where an array of data was displayed.

"These are Ichigo's readings for his spirit centers and spirit core. As I told you, they show that he is in critical condition, and we are barely keeping him alive."

"I see that."

"Yes," Kisuke said, bending over a keyboard in front of the computer monitor and tapping swiftly with his fingers, "Okay, if you watch, this shows what happened with each of several possible therapies I tested on his damaged cells that I collected. You see that all of the early tests failed, and although a few indicated mild reactions and improvements, none of these were successful. I'll tell you, I was at the end of my rope and pretty much outta ideas, but…then something occurred to me. There was a collection of cells I had taken that, like the reiatsu that disrupted Ichigo's body systems, was different in nature. Look at what happened when I exposed Ichigo's damaged cells to this."

Byakuya and Tetsuya's eyes widened as they watched the introduced cells swallow up the damaged ones.

"That is a profound response," Byakuya observed.

"It's amazing!" Tetsuya said wonderingly

"This would obviously bring about the question of what you are waiting for," Byakuya said impatiently, "and why we needed to be alone with you to do this. Where did you get those cells, and what is required of Tetsuya and me?"

"Okay, okay!" the shopkeeper said, holding up his hands defensively, "here's the deal. The cells that I took are from Tetsuya's body."

Tetsuya's breath caught sharply and Byakuya's expression darkened.

"And?"

"And," Kisuke explained, "they are not just any random cells. These cells were taken from the area of his body where, when he is impregnated, the spirit chamber forms."

Byakuya's reiatsu rose sharply.

"What are you suggesting?" he demanded.

"Hey," the shopkeeper said sternly, "you asked me to come up with something, with anything that can help keep Ichigo alive and help him recover. You did not say _as long as your answer doesn't make me mad_ , so…this is an answer."

Byakuya's glare intensified and his lips twitched, but he held back answering. Kisuke hastened to explain further.

"You see, anytime you have cells that can change easily, cells that aren't bound to being this or that, special cells can be transformative, meaning that they can…"

"They can affect other cells around them," Byakuya supplied.

"Exactly," Kisuke affirmed, "And the reason Tetsuya has cells like that, is because he is a breeder male. Those cells are able to change when exposed to reiatsu and semen to form the spirit chamber and the new reiatsu of the baby."

Byakuya's look turned curious, then darkened further.

"Are you saying that you took Tetsuya's cells and exposed them to…?"

"I exposed them to Ichigo's cells," Kisuke answered, "I had to expose them to some reiatsu and semen to get them into their transformative state, but…"

Byakuya gave him a deadly look.

"Yours?" he practically growled.

"Byakuya-san, you are getting distracted. You asked me to find a way to save Ichigo, and I'm gonna tell you, this will save him. Now, it isn't going to restore him completely, but it will stabilize him, and that will stop the clock from ticking while we work to find a more permanent cure for him."

"I understand, and Tetsuya and I will, of course, cooperate. Just stop stalling and tell us what we need to do."

"Yeah, that," the shopkeeper said, looking warily at Tetsuya, who blushed, but looked back at him calmly, "You see, to get a reaction in Ichigo, I need more of Tetsuya's transformative cells…a lot more. And right now, there are a limited amount, not nearly enough for what I intend to do."

"And that means?" Byakuya prompted him.

"It means that I need to do something to promote the growth of those cells."

"And how is that done?"

Kisuke opened his mouth to answer, but was silenced as Tetsuya answered for him.

"I have to become pregnant."

Now, it was the shopkeeper blushing.

"He's got it."

He paused, looking at Byakuya and watching as the Kuchiki leader glared at him and worked to keep his burgeoning temper under control.

"Now, we need to find someone who resonates well with him, to be sure that his body will respond."

"Assuming that Tetsuya and I agree to this."

"Of course," Kisuke agreed, "Just remember, I have nothing else that is working. This works. But, these is a little more to it."

"There is more?" Byakuya asked, stiffening.

"Yeah," Kisuke affirmed, "because even with Tetusya's transformative cells in action, we need to stimulate Ichigo's body to help us. Now, I know you're gonna be mad and you're gonna tell me It's unethical. It is, and I'm not gonna sugarcoat it. You're not gonna like it. But you have to decide, here, what is more important. Do you want Ichigo to stabilize before sotaicho pulls the rug out from under us and calls you guys back to the home base, or do you want to sit here for longer while I fool around, looking for something you like better?"

"What are you suggesting?"

"You know that the original breeder males were not natural ones. They were made, after the blood war with the quincies, a thousand years ago. They were made to repopulate the noble clans."

"And you know that the process for making them is outlawed. It is banned! And for good reason, because a number of the original breeder males died while being altered."

"I know that," Kisuke argued, "but we are out of options. We need to impregnate Tetsuya to get the cells in the amount we need, and we need to prepare Ichigo's body to be able to make his own transformative cells. In short, I know the process to also make Ichigo a breeder male…"

"You plan to impregnate him too?" Byakuya asked sharply, "In his condition? You are going to…?"

"The other option is to just let him go on like this until we can't anymore, for whatever reason. You know we can't do this forever, Byakuya-san. If you want to save Ichigo, then drastic measures are called for. We need to start prepping these two and we need to find partners to provide the reiatsu and semen. There has to be a strong resonance, or the pregnancy won't happen."

He paused, noting that Tetsuya's face had gone frightfully pale.

"Tetsuya-san, what is it? I'm sorry if I upset you. I was just…"

"It's not that," Tetsuya said softly, lowering his eyes, "It's just that there is a person I know already who has a strong resonance with me…although it is a negative connection. But, I know he would be able to cause…"

"Absolutely not," Byakuya said, in a voice that was firm, but at the same time, gentle.

Kisuke gave them a curious look.

"Tetsuya was, as you know, a prisoner in Itamigiri, the illegal noble's prison. While incarcerated, he was abused and impregnated by someone who is not allowed to touch him."

"But, this is an emergency!" Tetusya argued, "And…couldn't I be artificially inseminated? I don't have to actually…?"

"That's right," Kisuke assured him.

"There is not way you are having that man's child, Tetusya!" Byakuya snapped.

"So, because of that, Ichigo will have to suffer?" Tetsuya asked, "Byakuya-sama, I am as upset by the idea as you are, but we have to consider…"

"No," Byakuya said, glancing at the shopkeeper, who bit his lip to hold back a smirk, "because, if you were listening, then you know that there was another option besides Orochi."

Tetsuya frowned.

"There was?"

Byakuya nodded.

"We only just discussed the fact that Urahara Kisuke was able to affect your cells with his semen and reiatsu."

"Yeah, and a second ago, you were ready to take my head off for that," Kisuke chuckled.

"Well, given that the other option is a sadistic monster who abused my cousin, you are suddenly the better option."

He paused and looked into Tetsuya's eyes questioningly.

"If…you wish to go along with this, Tetsuya."

"Of course I will," Tetsuya said without hesitation, "Ichigo has done so much for Rukia-san. It's our turn to show our gratitude for that."

"You do realize that we're talking about something that will bring two babies into the world," Kisuke warned them, "Not to mention the fact that we are going to be impregnating Ichigo without his consent. He may be pissed."

"He should be grateful to be alive, and to have a chance at recovery," Byakuya insisted, "We need to put this plan in motion now. You know we don't have time to debate it."

"Right," Kisuke agreed, "So, if you're on board, I will prepare the… _stuff_ to begin the process with Tetsuya. Then, we need to find someone who resonates well enough with Ichigo for them to impregnate him, once I alter him."

Byakuya's dark, brooding eyes flickered.

"I believe you will find that my reiatsu resonates strongly with Ichigo's. You will also find that you will not need to transform him."

Kisuke and Tetsuya exchanged surprised glances.

"And…how do you know this?" the shopkeeper asked.

"I know this because of the connection I felt with him when we fought nearly to the death, and I know because… _I_ am also a breeder male. I can either be impregnated by, or impregnate Ichigo."

"Oh," Kisuke said, shaking his head, "Ichigo's gonna love that…"

"Ichigo is going to live and he is going to recover fully," Byakuya said determinedly, "I am going to make sure that he does."


	5. Common Law

**Chapter 5: Common Law**

Renji exited the guest room he had been using and immediately sensed the approach of the two children who lived and worked at Kisuke's candy shop.

"Ugh, not them!" he groaned, "They'll probably start calling me Moocher and order me around. I'm outta here…"

He headed quickly down the ladder and into the underground training room. As he landed on the sandy floor of the chamber, his eyes took in wild blue light and he felt raised reiatsu in the area. He spotted Uryu a short distance away. The quincy made fast steps using his hirenkyaku and as he moved, he turned gracefully in the air, firing off volleys of bright white arrows that struck the set of training targets expertly.

 _Not that our enemies are ever really polite enough to stand still so we can hit'em_ , Renji chuckled to himself, _But damn…that's some good shootin' there._

"Don't you know it's not polite to stare?" the quincy asked off-handedly as he leapt into the air again and fired off another round, "What're you doing here?"

"Nice t'see you too," Renji huffed, half-seriously, "But, don't you get tired of shooting at sitting ducks? I don't think our fights are ever that easy, y'know."

"Not like I had a lot of choice," Uryu answered, matter-of-factly, "Quincy trainers are in short supply."

"Hell," Renji sighed, "quincies are in short supply."

"I suppose a shinigami would know that."

Renji scowled.

"What's that supposed to mean?" he said, beginning to let a little anger leak into his words.

"What do you think it means?" Uryu asked, striking at another set of targets, "You _do_ recall that it was the shinigamis who almost annihilated our entire race."

"Yeah, I know that," Renji admitted, "But, it's not like I think was okay or like I would have gone along with something like that."

Uryu paused and dropped onto the sand, panting softly. He moved a step in Renji's direction, studying his handsome, tattooed face closely.

"You think not?" he asked.

Renji's scowl deepened.

"Damned straight, I think not!" he snapped, "You think I'm just some idiot meathead who will kill anything just because an order comes to do it?"

Uryu's head tilted slightly.

"Well, you _did_ try to kill Rukia on your leader's order, and you tried to kill me too, if I recall correctly."

"Oh, come on!" Renji complained, "Y'know I didn't really wanna hurt Rukia. I was just playin' it up to get Kuchiki taicho's respect, at the time. It was stupid, yeah, I admit it…but I didn't go through with killing her, and if you will remember, I carried her away from Sokyoku Hill…erm…before that asshole, Tosen, used his power to bring us back."

"There is that," Uryu shrugged, "I guess you're partially right."

"Well, thanks," Renji said, crossing his arms, "I guess."

"But you did still try to kill me before we knew each other," Uryu said, taking aim on another set of targets, "And you are still staring."

"Well, if it's not too late to say so, I apologize for almost killing you before we knew each other," Renji said, smirking, "As for the staring, last time I checked, it wasn't a crime."

"Well," the quincy said, turning and taking aim on the tattooed shinigami, "if you're going to be a nuisance, you can at least be useful as a target, can't you?"

Renji's cinnamon eyes narrowed and glinted aggressively as Uryu loosed a volley of arrows at him. He raised his reiatsu, making a dark, reddish glow rise around his lanky body.

"You're going to have to do better than that, if you expect to make a mark on me," Renji growled as his power deflected some of the arrows and his sword slashed at the rest, "If you wanna train with me, let's go all out, okay?"

"Wouldn't have it any other way," Uryu agreed, raising his slim body into the air and taking aim.

Renji's red power exploded around him, and the ground beneath him shook warningly.

"Show off," Uryu scolded him, "If you knew how to focus that power effectively, you might be able to…"

He broke off, stepping swiftly to evade Renji's barrage of red kido blasts, then the elongated released form of the shinigami's extended blade.

"Focus, schmocus," Renji sneered, "Focus only really becomes that necessary for guys who don't have the power explosion necessary to crush their opponent. You can talk all you want about the importance of finesse, but if you're powerful enough, you don't have to be particularly skillful."

He fired a heavy blast at Uryu, who managed to dodge nimbly, but felt a sharp burning on his skin from the intensity of the redhead's reiatsu.

A moment later, he felt an odd flicker in his spirit core. Without him meaning for it to happen, his eyes slipped closed and he felt the red and white power between them swirl and begin to pulsate strangely.

 _What is this?_

 _What just happened?_

 _It's so strange. I think…it feels like…_

"Hey!" Renji yelled, "Pay attention, will you?"

Uryu realized just a moment too late that the redhead had fired another heavy blast, and he realized he wasn't going to be able to avoid being hit. But just when it seemed that the inevitable was upon him, he felt something crash into him, taking him out of the range of Renji's attack and throwing him roughly down onto the sand. Dust flew wildly around him, obscuring the air as he reeled and tried to regain his equilibrium.

"Stupid ass! What were you doing? I could have really hurt you. What were you thinking?" Renji chided him.

As Uryu watched the air clear, it registered that he was lying on his back on the ground and that Renji was lying practically on top of him, his face dangerously close to Uryu's. For a moment, Uryu flashed back to the powerful kiss the half-awake redhead had given him in the desert.

"Ishida, are you listening to me?" Renji shouted.

Uryu frowned and extracted himself, then he stood and brushed off his clothing.

"You're right to scold me for being careless," he admitted, "but if you're going to do that, then next time, you should hit me with your full strength. There was no way that your attack was going to hurt me."

He disappeared before Renji could answer, leaving the tattooed man staring after him and shaking his head.

"Smartass…"

XXXXXXXXXX

Kisuke and Byakuya exited the shopkeeper's laboratory together, both looking slightly flushed, but deeply determined as they headed down the hallway towards the room where Kurosaki Ichigo awaited their arrival.

"Are you sure that you have what you need to make this work?" Byakuya asked, "There is a sufficient supply of reiatsu and se-…?"

"It's enough," the shopkeeper chuckled, "Thank you for your… _efforts_ , Kuchiki taicho. You provided quite enough for what's needed."

"I was inquiring whether you had provided enough," Byakuya said, sounding perfectly serious, and his dark, smoky eyes glinting.

"Ouch, that's not nice," Kisuke laughed, "although, I have to admit, I haven't had a partner for much longer than you."

Byakuya was quiet for a moment, then he nodded.

"I suppose if my choice of partner had been as… _unfortunate_ as yours, I would have chosen chastity as well."

"Okay, that's even more _not nice_. You might wanna remember that I'm the guy trying to save Ichigo, and you do want him to live, right?"

Byakuya's expression didn't change, but his lips twitched very slightly.

"My apologies," he said solemnly, "Having been deceived by Aizen Sosuke, myself, I suppose I cannot chastise you for making the same mistake, only with more… _intimate_ consequences."

"Eh, you know I don't give a shit about not having a partner anymore," Kisuke said in a low, deeply controlled voice, "What gets me is getting banished from Soul Society because of his shenanigans. That's the part that really eats at me."

"I understand. Even at the time, I felt the decision was unfair. Unfortunately, I was too young for my thoughts to hold any sway with the ones making the decisions."

Kisuke let out a little huff of laughter.

"Well, thank you. _That_ was actually nice, Byakuya-san."

They reached Ichigo's room and stepped inside to find that Tetsuya now laid beside Ichigo on the bed and both young men's yukatas were opened to bare their abdominals, but a sheet had been draped over their lower bodies. Shunsui, Juushiro, Retsu and Tessai knelt at the four corners of the bed, holding a healing field over the two. Kisuke reached the bed and removed two syringes from within his coat. He started to prepare the first, but paused at the sound of Byakuya's staying voice.

"Urahara Kisuke, before we begin, I must make the following declarations," the noble said solemnly.

"D-declarations?" Kisuke mused.

Shunsui, Retsu and Juushiro's eyes widened as they realized, and Shunsui gave a knowing little snicker.

"You are about to cause the making of a Kuchiki heir, as well as the issue of a powerful and favored member of the Kuchiki main household," Byakuya explained, "By the laws of the noble clans, doing this gives me the responsibility to ensure that the clan's honor and dignity are maintained."

"Eh…ah, o-kay?" Kisuke mused, blinking in confusion, "And that means?"

"What it means," Byakuya said quietly, "is that, as Kuchiki leader, I must claim Kurosaki Ichigo as a Kuchiki clan wife, as he is carrying my heir, and I want that heir to be acknowledged."

"Oh, okay, well…Ichigo may have something to say about this…"

"If he survives, he is welcome to appear before the council of elders to argue his case," Byakuya agreed, "but, given their eagerness to have an heir of my bloodline, it is doubtful that they would be receptive…especially considering the quality of Ichigo's power."

"That's a pretty big compliment, coming from him," Shunsui whispered to Juushiro.

"But it still seems wrong to do something like this without Ichigo's consent," Juushiro mused.

"Well," Retsu added softly, "remember that, because he did not give consent, Ichigo is relieved of the need for consummation of the marriage. As long as the heir is born alive, he is able to dissolve the marriage, once the child is born, and if the child does not survive, the marriage is invalidated."

"Hmm, I suppose that's fair," Juushiro said, sounding not wholly convinced, "but I don't think Ichigo is going to be very happy about it."

"He will be alive, though, if this works," Retsu said calmly.

"I know we all want that," Shunsui agreed.

"And to the other matter," Byakuya went on, "Tetsuya is a favored member of the leader's branch of the family. Being such, if he is impregnated, it falls to me to determine the status of the relationship between him and the father of his child."

"Huh?" Kisuke said, noticing suddenly that the other taicho's had carefully stopped looking directly at him, "What was that, Byakuya-san?"

"It is my decision to recognize your association as a common law marriage."

"What?" Kisuke squawked, "Marriage? Wait a second. I didn't…"

"Byakuya-sama!" Tetsuya objected, sitting up, "Urahara-san shouldn't have to be married to me, just because he was kind enough to…!"

"You are also…because of the presence of a child, relieved of any necessity to consummate your union, and when the child is born, you have the option to formally wed or to dissolve your union. If the child does not survive, the union will be dissolved."

"B-but…" Kisuke sputtered.

Byakuya silenced him with a sharp look.

"This agreement," the noble said sternly, "supersedes any order of the sages and judges of Central 46, as it is the order of a clan leader."

Shunsui, Juushiro and Retsu made sounds of astonishment and Kisuke stared at the clan leader in stunned silence.

"This means," Byakuya continued, "that as long as you respect the sanctity of your marriage to my favored cousin and ensure his contentedness, _the order for your banishment from Soul Society is lifted_."

"Byakuya-san…" Kisuke managed.

"I think you will find this both a reward for you finding a cure for Ichigo's condition, as well as an incentive to make sure that Tetsuya recovers to the point where he is able to return home to Kuchiki Manor, where you will both be welcomed to reside, once your child is born and acknowledged."

Byakuya met Kisuke's pale grey eyes meaningfully.

"You are free to register your words of agreement or objection, of course," he finished.

"Um…uh…" the shopkeeper stammered, "Tetsuya-san, how do you feel about this?"

Tetsuya looked up at Byakuya and nodded.

"I will accept my leader's order."

"Yeah," Kisuke acknowledged, "but that's not what I asked you. I asked you how you feel about this. Are you really all right with being married to someone you barely know? A scientist? And one who has been banished from Soul Society?"

Tetsuya considered carefully for a moment, then nodded again.

"Many in the noble families marry for important reasons, other than love," he answered calmly, "and…the stain of banishment will not be an issue, as it disappears, when we are wed. I am content with the agreement."

"You really are?" the shopkeeper mused, feeling a warm flicker deep in his chest at the younger man's declaration, "That's…well…if you are willing to do this, then I am too. You can register my acceptance, no objection, Byakuya-san."

"Very well," Byakuya said, stepping back slightly, "you may proceed. I will make the announcement of the marriages to the elders as soon as the pregnancies are confirmed."

"This is going to stir things up," Juushiro whispered to Shunsui.

"That's an understatement," Shunsui snorted, "And just wait until Ichigo wakes up. I don't think he'll be content with this."

"But he will be alive," Retsu said firmly, "I am sure that, given time, Ichigo will realize that Byakuya's actions here were not selfish ones. Remember that he has mourned Hisana-san for over fifty years. He is not eager to marry, much less to be making heirs. Whether he shows it or not, this is going to be hard for him…especially, if the plan to save Ichigo should fail…and he should die."

"Byakuya is risking something too," Juushiro acknowledged.

The others went silent as Kisuke moved to Tetsuya's side and he gave the younger shinigami a gentle smile.

"I am going to give you an injection into the site where the spirit chamber will form. It shouldn't be more than a little sting, all right?"

"All right," Tetsuya agreed, "It's fine."

Both the shopkeeper's heart and Tetsuya's began to race as Kisuke took a breath and gave the injection.

"There you go," he said, a little breathlessly, "All done."

Tetsuya swallowed hard and nodded, but gave no answer as Kisuke moved around to the other side of the bed.

"Okay, here goes."

He injected Ichigo, then stepped back and breathed a long, shuddering sigh.

"And now," he said softly, "we wait."


	6. Dawn Without the Sun

**Chapter 6: Dawn Without the Sun**

Nagging throbs of insistent pain in his head and lower belly nudged Kurosaki Ichigo out of sleep, and he thought he felt his eyes open, but strangely, there seemed to be only an odd greyness in front of them. He blinked and squinted, trying to see something, but the greyness remained, despite his repeated attempts to clear it.

"What the…?" he mumbled sleepily, "What's…?"

"Take it easy, okay?" Kisuke's familiar voice soothed him, "Your body's just had a pretty significant shock. You're lucky to be alive, my friend."

"What the hell happened to me?" Ichigo asked, reaching up to feel his face, "Why are my eyes covered? Can I take it off?"

"Shh," Byakuya chided him gently, capturing his hand and laying it down again, "don't be headstrong. Listen to Urahara Kisuke."

"Byakuya?" Ichigo mused, "What're you doing here? I am in Urahara's shop, right?"

"That you are," Kisuke affirmed, "Now, just try to relax and come awake slowly. You've been unconscious for days."

"Days, huh? What happened? I'm trying to remember, but everything's kinda foggy."

"You were responding to a distress call," Byakuya explained, "You entered Hueco Mundo alongside Ishida Uryu. Do you remember that?"

"No, not at all," Ichigo answered, his voice shaking slightly, "I don't remember anything. I mean, I know who I am and everything. I know who you are. But…when I try to think of what I was doing last, before I passed out, I don't recall anything!"

"Well, it was a pretty big shock," Kisuke said bracingly, "Try not to worry about it right now.

"Are you gonna uncover my eyes?" asked Ichigo, "Or am I just supposed to lie here in the dark?"

The friends gathered around Ichigo exchanged uneasy glances.

"Eh, the truth is that you're still recovering from getting dunked in some really nasty gunk that made your reiatsu go haywire, so…your eyes aren't covered," Kisuke explained, "Right now, you're not able to see."

"What?" Ichigo said in an alarmed tone.

He tried to sit up, but Byakuya pushed him gently back down again.

"Are you sayin' I'm blind? That stuff I fell into made me blind?"

"Were you not listening to Urahara Kisuke?" the noble chided him, "He just told you that you are still recovering."

"But, he also said that it's been _days_ ," Ichigo pointed out, "How many days has it been? How long have I been like this? Am I gonna be able to see again?"

"Look, take a breath and try not to worry," Kisuke said bracingly, "You know that sometimes these freaky hollows cause weird things to happen. This is just one of those weird things."

"So, are you saying you think I'll be able to see again or are you saying you've got no idea?"

"I'm _saying_ that we've all just gotta be patient and do what we've gotta do, here," Kisuke scolded him gently, "I'm gonna keep working to get you back to one hundred percent, and you need to stop worrying about what isn't working, and focus on what _is_."

"Stop thinking about what you cannot do and concentrate on the things you can do," Byakuya added.

"You'll have plenty of help," Renji assured him, "I'm here, Rukia, Chad, Orihime and Uryu are all here."

"Really?" Ichigo said, brightening, "Y'know, now that you mention it, I can _feel_ that you're all here. Thanks for that."

"What are friends for?" Chad said solemnly.

"Baka, where did you think we'd be?" Rukia chided him.

"As soon as you're well enough, we'll have you on your feet and training," Uryu said in a quiet, determined tone.

"Don't you worry about anything, Ichigo," Orihime said with certainty, "Everything will be all right."

"Okay, guys," Kisuke chuckled, "it's time to let Ichigo go back to resting and eating up a storm. We all want him to get better, so let's give him some space."

"I feel pretty good," Ichigo objected, "Besides, I like having my friends around. I'm not up to much, but talking doesn't take a lot of energy. I'll get bored if I'm just sitting here."

"Well," said Kisuke, "I also think that you and Byakuya need to have a talk about a few things."

"What do we have to talk about?" Ichigo mused, frowning, "If it's about the mission to Hueco Mundo, I told you. I don't remember even going, so I don't think I'm going to be very much help."

"It is not about the situation in Hueco Mundo," Byakuya informed him.

"Oh? Then, what's it about?"

Byakuya glanced at the others in the room, and Rukia, Renji, Chad, Orihime and Uryu quickly said their goodbyes. Kisuke headed to the door as well, smiling as he said his farewell, then closed the door behind him.

"Good luck, Byakuya-san," the shopkeeper sighed.

"Kisuke?"

Kisuke turned to find Tetsuya approaching him and smiled warmly.

"Well, if it isn't my cute husband, come to see me," he chuckled.

Tetsuya blushed.

"I…I was actually looking for my cousin," the younger man confessed.

"Ouch, should I be jealous?" Kisuke snickered.

"Oh, I didn't mean to sound like I…" Tetsuya stammered, turning a darker shade of pink.

"Stop it, okay?" Kisuke laughed, "I was just kidding around with you. Byakuya's in with Ichigo, but they're having kind of a private talk."

"Oh, I see. Well, I will come back later, then," Tetsuya said, turning to head back down the hallway.

He was stopped a moment later as Kisuke's arm wrapped around his waist and the shopkeeper's voice rumbled in his ear, sending a little shiver through the younger man.

"Hey, where d'you think you're going?"

"Erm…back to my room? Eh, our room?" Tetsuya answered, trying not to blush harder as his heart flickered in his chest.

"Tell me something, _anata_. When was the last time you ate?" Kisuke asked, tickling Tetsuya's ear teasingly with his warm breath.

His hand slipped down to caress the very small bump that had begun to form on Tetsuya's lower abdomen.

"We've got to take care of this baby, _ne_?"

"Of course," Tetsuya agreed, "I admit, I am a little bit hungry."

"Well, come right this way," the shopkeeper said cheerfully, tugging his still blushing husband along, into the kitchen.

As they entered, they noticed Shunsui and Juushiro sitting at the table, having dinner with Retsu, Tessai and the two children.

"I thought Yamamoto Sotaicho had called all of you back to base," Kisuke chuckled.

"Well, we couldn't leave without having one more of Tessai's very tasty meals," Shunsui said, taking a large bite of his food, "I'm really going to miss this."

"I will too," Juushiro laughed.

"Have you got an extra plate for two more?" Kisuke asked, "Tetsuya's starving and he's eating for two. I also can't remember when I ate last."

"We have all been so focused on healing Kurosaki Ichigo," said Retsu, "that we haven't been thinking about such mundane things as eating properly. Still, we can't do our jobs if we're not in good shape, can we?"

"Pull up a chair," Shunsui said, nodding, "It's your home, after all."

In moments, Tetsuya and Kisuke were settled at the table and feasting on the savory meal Tessai had made.

"Y'know," said Shunsui, "I think we should raise a glass to the man who finally managed to figure out how to save Ichigo."

"Here, here!" the others shouted, clinking their glasses.

They sipped at their wine, while Tetsuya and the children took sips of their tea.

"So, has Byakuya explained _the details_ to Ichigo yet?" Juushiro asked.

"Heh, the guy only just woke up," Kisuke chuckled, "Give him some time."

"How _did_ you save Ichigo, anyway?" Jinta asked.

"Now, you know I can't discuss people's medical information with you," Kisuke chided the boy, "Just be glad I _could_ save him, or Aizen would have a big leg up in this war he's planning."

Jinta scowled, but didn't ask anymore questions.

"Urahara-san," Ururu inquired politely, "why did you say that Tetsuya-san is eating for two?"

Kisuke flinched.

"Heh, did I say that?" he laughed, "I think I just meant he was hungry enough to _eat like two_. That was it."

"And is there some reason why Tetsuya-san is still sleeping in your room, even though we have more rooms available now?" the little girl persisted.

"You two look like you're done," Tessai interrupted, "and I'm done too. Let's go and get you settled."

"Aw, but…"

"Come on," the mustached man insisted, "I'll tuck you in."

Kisuke watched as they left, then sighed in relief, shaking his head.

"That was close," he mused.

"Is there some reason it's wrong for people to know we've married and that we're having a baby, Kisuke?" Tetsuya asked, frowning, "Are we keeping this a secret?"

"Ah, well, no, I don't think so," the shopkeeper sputtered, "I mean, I just thought that, first of all, since Byakuya hasn't told Ichigo, we should let him do that. Then, of course, there are Ichigo's friends, who don't know. I just didn't want to be spreading things around until Byakuya and Ichigo had a chance to talk, you know?"

"And then, of course, there's going to be how Yamamoto sotaicho and the noble leaders react to the news that Byakuya has married a human and is having a child with him."

"Have you figured out how you are going to conceal Ichigo's and Tetsuya's pregnancies from other humans?" Retsu asked, "While breeder males are not unknown in Soul Society, it goes without saying, it would surprise people here."

Noticing that the shopkeeper's head was turned, Tetsuya slipped silently out of the room.

"I have that taken care of," Kisuke assured them, "I've got a couple of gigais that will hide their pregnancies from other humans."

"That's good," Juushiro said approvingly, "It would be bad if the two of them had to be kept out of sight for six or seven months while the reiatsus mature inside them."

"Tetsuya kinda likes staying out of sight, anyway, don't you?" Kisuke said, turning back to find his husband's seat empty, "Ah, Tetsuya?"

XXXXXXXXXX

"So, why did everyone have to leave like that?" Ichigo asked, sitting up against his pillows, "What've you got to say to me that you can't say in front of all of them?"

Byakuya considered his words carefully.

"You need to realize," he explained, "that you were dying, Ichigo."

Ichigo's face paled.

"I was dying?"

"Did you not hear Urahara Kisuke say that you were lucky to be alive?"

"Yeah, but I thought that he was maybe speaking figuratively," Ichigo answered.

"He was not. He was speaking literally. When Tetsuya arrived with you, here in Karakura Town, after you were immersed in the foul concoction in Hueco Mundo, you were already compromised, and you were declining quickly. It took many of us, in rotating shifts, to keep you alive long enough for Kisuke to come up with an answer. And you should know that the answer may or may not work completely as he expects. It was simply all he could think of."

"Well," Ichigo said, smiling, "I'll take _simply what Kisuke could think of_ over most people's facts, any day."

Byakuya nodded in agreement.

"I also have great confidence in that man's abilities, however inappropriate his actions may be, at times."

"He does what he has to," Ichigo said, frowning.

"Yes," Byakuya agreed, "and I think you must agree with me that while his actions are not always the most palatable, sometimes there is no choice, if we wish to have the outcome we believe must be."

"Are you referring to me getting in with Kisuke to save Rukia?" Ichigo asked confrontationally, "Cause, just so you know, I'm not sorry for that."

"No, I don't imagine you are," Byakuya said quietly, "I have no regrets either…only that I misunderstood you from the beginning. I did not understand what was beneath your actions. I took your insults and your strikes as personal acts against me, when you were really just fighting what you felt to be injustice. Now, with the current situation, I am hoping that you will understand that when I decided to assist Kisuke in his plans to save you, I was thinking only of saving your life."

Ichigo's frown deepened.

"And why does my life mean so much to you?" Ichigo asked, "I know you said you were grateful to me, but…you're sounding like saving me made things difficult for you…really difficult. So, what did you have to do?"

"Before I tell you that, I want you to picture what it was like while we were all here…five taichos, two fukutaichos, a gifted human healer and several others with exceptional powers, and we were barely able to keep you alive. For days, around the clock, we all poured our effort into saving you, and we were barely able to keep you from dying. We were running out of time, both because we were barely able to keep up with your decline, and also because Sotaicho was growing concerned about having so many taichos here, in one place, when Aizen is plotting and waiting for an opportunity. When Kisuke revealed that he had found an answer, we were all very relieved, because soon, Sotaicho would have ordered some of us home, and you would have died."

"I'm really glad that Kisuke found an answer," Ichigo said in a softer tone, "and I appreciate all that everyone did to save me, but how did Kisuke save me? What exactly did he do?"

"To understand that, you must understand that the effect of that muck you fell into disrupted your reiatsu. It turned your reiatsu chaotic, much like causing little electrical disturbances that we disrupting your body and powers, and were damaging your organs, including your spirit centers that focus your power, and your spirit core that keeps you radiating reiatsu, and shapes it when you release it. Normally, when you are injured, the human girl, Orihime's power can simply reject it. However, this chaotic power that was in the muck changed your reiatsu so that it thickened and grew wild and uncontrollable. She simply could not affect it while it was so unpredictable and violent."

"Okay," Ichigo said tentatively, "So, what did Kisuke do about that? And how were you involved?"

"I was involved, because you and I share a strong resonance," Byakuya answered.

"A resonance?" Ichigo repeated, looking confused.

"Think of your parents. You know how it is when people fall in love."

Ichigo's face flamed a bright red.

"Uh…erm…but you and I aren't…" he stammered.

"I am saying this badly," Byakuya said apologetically, "But, think of great rivals as well. People who are passionately in love, as well as people who are passionately opposed, create a strong attraction. Their energies merge, on some level, and there is always a powerful connection between them, be it positive like love, or negative, like hatred."

"I don't hate you."

"Nor do I hate you," Byakuya said firmly, "But, we were passionately entangled in that battle over Rukia's fate. That entire exchange bound us. Our reiatsus touched during our encounters, and our energies became attracted and entangled. This is the principle of resonance."

"Okay, so…what does that mean here? How did you help Kisuke to save me?"

"Kisuke discovered that the reiatsu in you that had been affected by the muck was not responding to any of the therapies he developed. He worked tirelessly, but for days, all of his experiments failed…until one idea seemed to work."

"What was that?"

Byakuya took a steadying breath.

"I am sure that you know that the physical gender of a person in the living world is fixed, unless physical measures are taken to change it."

"Yeah? So?"

Ichigo looked alarmed for a moment, and he slid a hand down, under the covers.

"We did not change your gender," Byakuya clarified.

"Well then, what did you do?" Ichigo demanded, "What's with all of the stalling? Just tell me what the hell you and Kisuke did to keep me alive?"

"Kisuke took some cells from within my cousin, Tetsuya's abdomen."

"And?"

"Tetsuya is what is known as a breeder male. There is history to them, but it would be best, I think if I just say that his body is able to form a spirit chamber, and in it, he can carry the reiatsu of a child. After six or seven months, the reiatsu matures, and the cells above the spirit chamber lose cohesion to let the reiatsu pass through. The reiatsu solidifies and becomes the body of a child."

"What? You mean that he can have a baby? Like a baby shinigami?"

"Yes. Exactly. The cells in the area of the spirit chamber are highly reactive, and they can alter the chaotic reiatsu in your body. However, to accomplish that, we had to find someone who resonated well enough with Tetsuya to make him pregnant."

Ichigo's expression reflected deeper confusion.

"So…you impregnated your cousin? Or wait, did you use me? What the hell did you do?" Ichigo demanded angrily, "Just stop beating around the bush and TELL ME!"

"Urahara Kisuke impregnated my cousin," Byakuya explained, "but he didn't feel that this would be enough. We needed your body to be able to also produce the transformative cells necessary to affect the chaotic reiatsu. You and I have a powerful resonance, because of our…"

"Oh, don't tell me this!" Ichigo shouted, reaching down to touch his abdomen.

He cursed as he felt the very small bump that had born.

"You bastard!" Ichigo snarled, leaping to his feet, wearing a deadly expression, "While I was out cold, you…you fucking had sex with me?"

"No!" Byakuya shouted back, holding up his hands as Ichigo somehow managed to get hold of his wrists, "I did not touch you. I donated semen and reiatsu. Kisuke injected them into you. I am a breeder male, so I can either carry a child, or I can cause another soul to do so. Remember, you were dying, and this was the _only way to save you_!"

"I should kill you, you asshole!" Ichigo seethed, "You, Urahara…and anyone who even _thought_ this was a good idea! You're crazy! All of you."

"I am sorry that you do not approve of the manner in which we were forced to act to save your life. Would you rather have died, Ichigo?"

"But, why would you do that, huh?" Ichigo steamed, "You don't even like me. You kick me out of your place five seconds after healers tell you I'm gonna live! Why the hell would you care at all if I live or die? Seriously!"

Byakuya stared in dismay at the man in front of him, sensing that his next words needed to be the right ones.

"I…owe you for saving me from doing the wrong thing. I owe you for saving Rukia's life. That…is all."

"Yeah?" Ichigo hissed, tears of indignant fury rising in the corners of his unseeing eyes, "Well, thanks a lot for ruining mine!"


	7. Deeper

**Chapter 7: Deeper**

 **XXXXXXXXXX**

 **(Apologies for the errors in Ichigo's part that had him reacting as though seeing, though obviously, he is blind. I went back and fixed that! ;) Thanks for your patience!)**

 **XXXXXXXXXX**

Tetsuya stood beside his tall black Arabian stallion, running a brush over the horse's neck, withers and back, his blue eyes hazy with thought. He breathed slowly, working to calm himself inside, though he couldn't help chiding himself for the emotions that nagged at him.

 _I didn't lie to myself. I understand that, although Urahara Kisuke might find me attractive and might even want to have sex with me, now that we are considered married, we aren't in love, and I shouldn't react badly to him wanting to keep our association quiet. He has been kind to me. He even seems to be happy about the baby I am carrying, although I don't know if he will be so interested in the child, once he or she is born. It may be that his interest in me is only about me being a scientific anomaly._

 _It doesn't matter._

 _I will not take any of this personally._

Tetsuya was distracted out of his thoughts by a flicker of dark surprise as a strong arm curled around him from behind, and a man's deep voice spoke into his ear.

"So, this is where you've been hiding, is it?"

Arashi gave a soft, warning growl and stamped his foot, laying his ears back, but Tetsuya laid a calming hand on the stallion, and he made no further move.

"I am not hiding, Orochi," Tetsuya answered softly, "I am here in my capacity as our cousin's healer and bodyguard. The mission is taking longer than expected, due to injuries that Ichigo and I sustained in Hueco Mundo, while on our missions there."

A little shiver went through Tetsuya as he felt a touch of his wicked cousin's breath touch the side of his neck, and the arm around his waist tightened.

"I don't sense any injury in you, though your reiatsu is extraordinarily low," Orochi commented, "What happened to you?"

"I was exposed to something that is interfering with my spirit centers. Simply put, until the condition is dealt with, I cannot return to Soul Society. And I would suggest that, unless you want Byakuya-sama to find out what has been going on between the two of us and kill us both for it, you should go."

Orochi's lips curved into a devilish smile and he touched them to Tetsuya's neck, sending another dark shiver down the blue-eyed man's spine.

"So kind of you to show such concern," he purred into Tetsuya's flushed ear, "I, too, would not want to reach an end to our night meetings, Tetsuya. I have…missed you while you've been away. Would you like to slip away for awhile?"

"No," Tetsuya answered stiffly, "I need to remain close to Byakuya-sama while we are here. It would be too risky for me to just disappear."

"Oh," Orochi hissed softly, nipping at Tetsuya's earlobe, "couldn't think of a lie to tell him? You've managed to lie to him about us for over a hundred years. I think you can come up with another. Come."

"No. I…!"

"Is there a problem here, gentlemen?" Kisuke's voice asked from the nearby ladder that came down into the underground training area from the shopkeeper's house, "Tetsuya, who is your…friend?"

Orochi scowled and his black eyes glinted warningly, but he released Tetsuya and moved back a step.

"Wait," Kisuke went on, "I think I remember you. You're Isas's boy, Orochi, aren't you?"

"Yes," Orochi answered, blinking slowly.

"Now, that's interesting," the shopkeeper said, keeping his smile, but crossing his arms, "I seem to recall Byakuya saying that you aren't allowed within a mile of Tetsuya. Did I have my lines crossed or something?"

Tetsuya lowered his eyes and said nothing, and Orochi glared at Kisuke petulantly.

"I came on behalf of my father and the council to find out what the delay is that has kept our leader from returning."

"Byakuya's busy dealing with something here," Kisuke said shortly, "That's all you need to know."

"I need to hear from Byakuya, himself," Orochi insisted.

"I think you need to shove off," the shopkeeper said, lowering his voice and intensifying his reiatsu, "Byakuya will send a report to the elders when he's good and ready. Get outta here."

Orochi glowered at the shopkeeper, then disappeared in a blazing flash step.

Kisuke studied Tetsuya's guilty expression for a moment, then uncrossed his arms and moved closer to his husband.

"So…you wanna tell me how long you and Orochi have been lovers?" he asked.

Tetsuya took a slow breath and gave a shaky exhale.

"I wouldn't exactly call it being lovers," he said solemnly, "as what happens between Orochi and me is not at all loving."

Tetsuya flinched as his husband's warm palm slipped under his chin and raised it so that their eyes met.

"So, why do you do it?" he asked, frowning, "Not that I have anything to say about it…"

"Of course you do," Tetsuya said softly, "I am married to you, even if we are not in love. I have not been with Orochi since before I came to Karakura Town with Byakuya-sama, and now that we are married, I will not be unfaithful with him…not that…I mean…"

"Take it easy," Kisuke said bracingly, "If there's anyone around here who understands weird attachments to monstrous bastards, I do."

Tetsuya's breath caught, and Kisuke gave him a little nod.

"You know about me and Sosuke?" Kisuke mused, "Right…Byakuya's head of security. Of course you know."

He gave Tetsuya a little smile.

"How about we go and have a cup of tea and talk about this?"

Tetsuya nodded and moved closer, accepting the arm the shopkeeper placed around him.

"Looks like you and I have a little more in common than I realized," Kisuke commented as the two returned to the interior of the shop.

XXXXXXXXXX

Byakuya remained quiet at Ichigo's side, watching as the younger man turned his head away in disgust.

"You've fucked up _everything_ for me," Ichigo complained bitterly, "I've got a life here, you know. I had to leave it behind for awhile to go and convince you and the bastards in Soul Society not to kill Rukia, and now… _this_! Do you even know how screwed up this is?"

Byakuya considered his words carefully.

"This is also not what I would have chosen, Ichigo, however, the prospect of watching you die was…"

He paused, struggling to find the right word. Ichigo's frown deepened and he turned his head back in Byakuya's direction.

"What?" he asked unhappily, "Byakuya, I _know_ that just having me around irritates you. I get that. What I don't get is you…I don't know, hanging around me while I'm injured and having to be a part of the cure this way, because of some _resonance_ thing that doesn't make sense at all, considering there's _absolutely nothing between us at all_!"

"I know that is how you see it," the noble acknowledged, "I have been sending you mixed signals, so your confusion is logical."

"Well, thanks for that. I'm glad it's okay for me to be confused by you not ever just saying what you think," Ichigo said sarcastically, "You know, if you would just say things instead of playing fucking head games all of the time…!"

"You think I am playing games with you?" Byakuya asked in a genuinely surprised tone.

"Well, duh. Isn't that about the only explanation for you _never_ just coming out and saying what you think?"

Byakuya stared back at him wordlessly.

"I don't get you at all!" Ichigo snapped, "And you know what? I don't _want_ to get you. In fact, the less I see of you, the better. I have lots of friends who _don't_ have a problem saying what they think, about me, or about _anything_! I don't need you confusing me. I don't need you at all. I want you to leave."

Byakuya stiffened and took a steadying breath.

"I will leave you then," he answered, carefully keeping his voice calm, "however, I am required to bond with you about once a day, or any time that the energies between you and the baby become unbalanced."

"Fuck…" Ichigo sighed, "Fine, whatever…"

"And…we will eventually need to speak about the… _logistics_ or raising the child."

Ichigo's golden-brown eyes narrowed aggressively.

"I'll tell you what the logistics are gonna be," he answered icily, "I'll raise the kid, and you'll go back to Soul Society and forget that both of us exist!"

Byakuya's grey eyes darkened, but he carefully avoided reacting to the obvious taunt.

"I will…leave you for now, to your healing. We can talk later."

He turned and left the room, leaving Ichigo scowling after him.

"Asshole!" the shinigami substitute sighed, shaking his head.

He brightened a little as the door to his room opened again, and his friends returned. The others returned his greetings and quickly surrounded him.

"So," Rukia said, glancing at the bedroom door, "Byakuya looked kind of unhappy when he left. What happened with the two of you?"

XXXXXXXXXX

Byakuya opened the door into the laboratory, but found the shopkeeper absent. He turned towards Kisuke's room, but sensed that his cousin and the shopkeeper were within, and that Tetsuya's reiatsu seemed somewhat piqued.

 _I suppose it can wait._

He headed down into the underground training area, where he spotted two of his fellow taichos standing close together and talking. He thought about moving towards them, but hesitated as Shunsui's head tilted and he began kissing his white-haired colleague.

 _Really…_

"Kuchiki taicho?" Retsu's voice said from behind him, making him turn back to look at her, "Did you come to see us off?"

"Perhaps," he answered cryptically, "Are the three of you leaving now?"

"Unfortunately, we can't put it off anymore," the lady taicho answered, as their two comrades disengaged and moved to join him.

"So, you'll need to stay to assist Ichigo?" Juushiro surmised, "How did he take the news?"

"Not well," Byakuya sighed, "He seemed to take it very personally, although I tried to explain the reasons behind my actions. I thought that, if he understood that there was no other choice, he would not be so angry over what we did. It appears to be much more complicated than that to him."

"Of course it is," Retsu chided him gently, "Ichigo is a young man. He doesn't have hundreds of years of life experience to draw on. He was also raised in the living world. He is a human, and to humans, things need to be grounded. We are asking a lot of him. We need to understand that some things will just take time for him to process."

"The boy hates me."

"Oh," said Shunsui, "I don't think Ichigo's capable of real hatred. Closest I've seen him come to that is when we were trying to execute Rukia, and as soon as the conflict ended, where was he? A guest in the house of Rukia's brother, the very enemy he had been fighting."

"I was not Ichigo's real enemy," Byakuya countered, "I was merely the focus for his anger at the rules and traditions that were leading to Rukia's execution."

"Except for the part that it wasn't really our rules and traditions," Juushiro reminded him, "It was Aizen's manipulations from the start."

"Yes," Byakuya agreed, "but right now, Ichigo is refusing to see anything but his own point of view. He is angry at me for not saying what I think, then he gets angrier when I attempt to speak my thoughts."

"Sounds complicated," Shunsui chuckled, "I'd suggest a glass or two of sake, but only you would be able to drink."

"I do not think drinking sake with Ichigo would help anything. He would probably only become more belligerent and rude to me if he could drink."

"Hmm," Retsu mused, "well, he is going through a lot. He has just found out that he is pregnant and married to you."

Byakuya shook his head and the other taichos looked at him in dismay.

"Ichigo does not yet know that we are married by common law. He does not know that I have the right to claim the child, if I so desire, and have the child named heir after me. And, given the state of things between us, I do not know if it would be good for me to tell him."

"But, he must be told, mustn't he?" Retsu objected, "if you are going to perhaps take the child back to Soul Society to be raised in your family."

"I could simply not acknowledge the child," Byakuya said solemnly.

"Ah, but then," Juushiro interjected, "doesn't that run the risk of making it possible that the elders could claim the child on your behalf and take the baby from Ichigo, if something should happen to you?"

"That could happen," Byakuya admitted.

"Seems kind of reckless, when we're about to go to war with Aizen," Shunsui speculated.

"Well, there is no immediate danger to me," Byakuya reminded them, "and if we should go to war, then I will tell him. I do not think putting additional pressure on Ichigo right now would be a good thing. He needs to deal with the weight of what has already been revealed to him, not mention the fact that he is still healing. I will speak to Ichigo about the rest of this when he is more receptive. To burden him with even more would not help matters."

"I guess," Shunsui said, shaking his head, "It's a complicated situation."

"Whatever you think is best, I suppose," said Juushiro.

"Well, we must be on our way," Retsu said, smiling at Byakuya, "I am sure that you will find the way to gain Ichigo's confidence."

"Hmm," Byakuya muttered, "all I seem to do right now is to excite his ire."

"He is a spirited person," the lady taicho observed, "but I think that when he has had time to reflect a little, he will remember that you are still mourning the loss of your wife, and all of the plans that you and Hisana had for the future."

Byakuya sighed resignedly.

"I do not think that, right now, Ichigo has the ability to consider much beyond his own pain," he commented.

Unohana giggled, making Byakuya blink and look back at her curiously.

"I do not understand your levity," he mused, "This is a serious situation."

"Of course it is," Retsu agreed, sobering slightly, "I just think that Ichigo will turn out to be more perceptive than you think. And if not, don't you think that, at least, Rukia will bring that very thing to his attention?"

"Ah, yes," Byakuya said, tilting his head slightly, "perhaps she will."

"And probably a little bit enthusiastically too," Shunsui chuckled, looking amused at the prospect.

"She does have a way of making her point with some impact," Juushiro said cheerfully, "Just try to be patient with him, Byakuya. I'm sure that things will work out."

But the look the stoic noble gave him in return suggested what Byakuya thought the chances were.

 _Slim…to none._

 _He thinks only of his own situation, his own friends and family, the people he wants to protect. And because I once tried to kill him and to see to the execution of my own sister, I am not one of those._

 _And really…who can blame him for feeling that way?_


	8. Secret Sins

**Chapter 8: Secret Sins**

"Byakuya looked kind of unhappy when he left," Rukia noted, kneeling a Ichigo's bedside, with Orihime at her side, Chad and Uryu kneeling across from her and Renji standing back slightly behind her with his arms crossed, "What happened with the two of you?"

Ichigo scowled.

"You mean, you guys don't know already? Kisuke didn't tell you how they saved me?"

"No," Orihime answered, exchanging mystified glances with their other friends, "we weren't told how Kisuke saved you, only that they were able to find a way."

"Apparently, there are some things that are taking longer," Chad added.

"Like my vision and powers?" Ichigo sighed raggedly, "I know."

"Don't worry," Uryu said, forcing confidence into his voice, "you're going to recover fully."

"Maybe," Ichigo said uncertainly, "maybe not."

"Don't be an idiot," Renji scoffed, "Of course you'll recover. After everything you've already survived?"

"Renji's right," Rukia agreed, "You're going to recover. Everything will be fine."

"Really?" Ichigo said skeptically, "Maybe you shouldn't say that before you know how I was saved."

"And how was that?" Rukia asked, "It seems to be upsetting you."

"Well," Ichigo said, gritting his teeth, "how would _you_ feel about being an eighteen-year-old parent?"

His friends' eyes widened in surprise.

"A parent?" Orihime repeated, staring at him.

"What do you mean, a parent?" Renji demanded.

"What the hell do you think I mean?" Ichigo answered, his voice shaking with mingled distress and anger, "The way that Kisuke saved my life is by using Byakuya to make me _pregnant_!"

The room went silent, but quivered with raised spiritual energy as the news impacted the others. Orihime paled and covered her mouth with a hand. Chad's expression grew befuddled. Rukia and Renji's eyes darkened and intensified and Uryu just looked stricken.

"He…?" Rukia managed finally, "Are you saying my brother h-he had…erm…he…?"

"Is that even possible?" Chad mused.

Renji and Rukia nodded.

"It's possible," she affirmed, "Remember that we are shinigamis. Ichigo is a human, but he has a shinigami spirit. Among the shinigamis are some rare beings called breeder males. I don't know all of the history, but I know that Tetsuya is a breeder male."

"Well, apparently, Byakuya is too," Ichigo said unhappily, "And I don't know how Kisuke figured it out, but by impregnating Tetsuya and using some of his cells, he was able to begin to repair some of the damage to my body. But, for some reason, they also had to use Byakuya's…er…his…"

"Semen and reiatsu?" Rukia asked, blushing.

"Yeah, Kisuke injected it into me and that made my body produce more of the cells that could fight the bad reiatsu from that gunk I fell into. Supposedly, that's why I didn't die."

"Eh…" Renji said, scratching the back of his neck, "it is good that you didn't die, right?"

"That's true," Chad agreed.

"But…now there's going to be a baby," Orihime said, blinking and shaking her head. "Um, how does that baby even get out?"

"Ugh!" Ichigo groaned, "I…I don't remember what Byakuya said. I think it was that…"

"As the soul matures," Rukia explained, "it stays in reiatsu form. When the baby is ready to be born, the cells over the spirit chamber lose cohesion, allowing the baby's reiatsu to pass through."

"So, uh…it doesn't matter that he's male," Uryu concluded.

"Right," Rukia affirmed.

She read Ichigo's disgusted expression carefully.

"Ichigo, how do you feel about having a baby?" she asked.

"I don't know," Ichigo muttered, shaking his head, "I mean, I obviously would have waited, and I would have wanted to get married when I was ready."

"Makes sense," Renji interjected.

"But…I mean, it's not the kid's fault, right?" Ichigo reasoned, "It's not like either the kid or me had any choice about it. We're kind of in this together. But, Byakuya and Kisuke…"

"Yeah," Chad sighed, lowering his eyes and furrowing his brow in thought, "That's a tough one."

"What's tough about it?" Ichigo said confrontationally, "You…you don't just _do_ something like that!"

"Eh," Uryu said in a troubled voice, "But, you _were_ dying."

"I'm sure that Kisuke and Taicho had to have exhausted a lot of other choices," Renji assured him, "I don't think they just jumped to that without eliminating the other choices, right?"

"Well, I wasn't exactly able to know what they did and didn't do, because I was out cold, remember?" Ichigo snapped.

"Why don't you just use your brain a little, stupid!" Rukia said sharply, making the rest of the gathered friends stop and stare at her questioningly.

Rukia let out a heavy breath.

"You all know from having been to Kuchiki Manor, that Nii-sama is still in mourning for his wife, my sister."

"That's true," Renji confirmed, "He still has her picture in a little shrine in the house. He meditates there every day."

"He still speaks to her picture," Rukia added, "You might think about that. After all, Nii-sama and my sister had their dreams for the future too. Byakuya wanted to have children with her, but my sister was too weakened from her time in the Rukongai. She did eventually get pregnant, but she lost the child and then she died."

"Wait a second," Ichigo said, stiffening, "Byakuya and Hisana lost their child?"

"Yes," Rukia said in a low, sad voice, "My sister knew that the elders wanted my brother to have an heir. They put pressure on both Byakuya and her to do this. Nii-sama just told her that it wasn't important to him, that he was more determined to protect her health. But my sister felt guilty for taking fatherhood away from him, so she convinced him to try. They were pleased when she was found to be pregnant, but she struggled even more with her health. She was in her fifth month when she collapsed while looking for me in the Rukongai. She was found and received help right away, but she lost the child, and she just wasn't able to recover from that. She died shortly after the baby was lost."

"I didn't know that," Ichigo admitted.

"It's not something that Nii-sama ever talks about to anyone. He bears the pain in silence and meditates to ease his mind It has been over fifty years, but he is still not over the losses. I don't think that deciding to make a baby with you was at all an easy decision for him. He has already had one attempt to become a husband and father end in disaster and heartbreak. So, before you get angry and think that he is taking something from you, recall that he is giving up something too. The weight of this will be difficult… _for both of you_."

Ichigo loosed a heavier sigh, running his hands over his face.

"Well," he said unhappily, "at least no one's having to get married in our case. So, once the baby is born, we don't have to be around each other to be a constant reminder of all of this."

His unseeing eyes missed entirely the look of shock and realization that rose on Rukia's face. She opened her mouth to speak, then closed it again as the door opened and Byakuya stepped into the bedroom.

"Ichigo," he said solemnly, eliciting a fresh scowl from the shinigami substitute, "it is time for me to give you the first infusion."

XXXXXXXXXX

Tetsuya sat down on the bed, quietly considering his words as Kisuke left briefly, then returned to the bedroom, carrying a tea tray. He set it down on the nightstand and climbed onto the bed to sit facing his much younger spouse. He reached over and poured out a cup of tea, then handed it to Tetsuya, who looked down into the glass for a moment, then took a sip.

"Take your time," Kisuke said patiently, "And you know, if you really aren't ready to say anything about this, you don't have to."

"Oh, I think I should say something," Tetsuya sighed, taking another sip of the tea, "It's just that I haven't been able to speak of this to anyone in over a hundred years."

He paused and let out a slow breath, closing his blue eyes.

"Even with all of the years that have passed, and how different I am than the little wreck of a child Byakuya-sama saved from Itamigiri, some things haven't changed at all."

Kisuke gave him a bracing smile.

"Like?"

Tetsuya sighed.

"Like the fact that our cousin, Orochi, presents one face to me and another to everyone else. On the surface, he is a proud noble son, known to be ruthless, but he is respected in the family. Underneath, he is a monster."

"I understand that when Byakuya found out that your parents had been incarcerated there, and that you had been born in the prison, he sent Orochi to protect you?"

"Yes," Tetsuya affirmed, "Although you shouldn't assume that meant he trusted Orochi. It was difficult to find someone who would be accepted by those running the prison. There had already been an incident in which one of the other illegal noble's prisons had been located, but word of a coming invasion caused the ones in charge of that prison to slay all of the prisoners and burn the prison. And in fact, word reached Itamigiri just before Byakuya-sama's raid began. Our captors ran through the cell block, attacking and murdering us in our cages. We were helpless to defend ourselves. I only survived, because my cell mate, Naoki, who was also my first husband, stepped in front of me and took the fatal blow, himself, rather than watching me die. As he fell, he pushed me down and told me not to move. I was petrified, and I remained trapped beneath Naoki's body as our captors set fire to the prison and choking smoke filled the cell block. Byakuya-sama appeared with the smoke swirling around him. He found us in our cell, and when I wouldn't leave my husband's body behind, he carried Naoki out. Byakuya-sama knew that prisoners were not allowed to wed, so Naoki should have been buried in a public gravesite in the Rukongai. But, perhaps because he was driven to care for me, as his father and mine were first cousins and best friends, he affirmed my marriage to Naoki and had him buried at Kuchiki Manor."

"I heard about that," Kisuke said, smirking, "It raised a bit of a commotion."

"Yes. The elders were displeased. They had also been against the raid…and it is rumored that it was Isas, Orochi's father, who warned the ones who ran the prison that Byakuya-sama was set to invade. As for Orochi, despite the fact that he was in the habit of sexually torturing Naoki and me, he also considered us to be his property, and he did protect us from the other prison guards and officials."

Tetsuya paused, taking a larger swallow of his tea, then he set it down and ran his hands over his face.

"He wanted the two of us alive, but for his own wicked reasons. On the day of the raid, he was planning to steal Naoki and me away, but Byakuya-sama must have sensed something about that, and he kept Orochi close to him, to watch him. It is because of this that we were still in our cell when our captors began to purge the prison and kill everyone. I was fortunate that I escaped death, but I lost my husband in the raid, and even though I was rescued and adopted into a respected branch of the main family, a part of me never felt free…because there were things that happened during my escape, things which still imprison me, even though there are no longer any physical walls."

Kisuke's grey eyes narrowed and he nodded in acknowledgment.

"He's holding something over you."

"Yes."

"Hmm," Kisuke said, rubbing his chin, "you wanna tell me what that is? You don't have to, if you don't want to, but it seems to me like you really do want to say something."

"Actually, my hand is forced," Tetsuya confessed, "My marriage to you breaks the contract that Orochi has held over my head for over a hundred years."

"Huh," Kisuke mused, considering, "given that you didn't have a lover to protect because of Naoki's death, you've got me curious, here. Does this deal that you made with Orochi have anything to do with the child that you lost when you were injured in the raid?"

Tetsuya's eyes closed and a look of agony crossed his face.

"Sorry, I know that whole thing was really difficult for you…losing both Naoki and your child on the same day. Even gaining your freedom must have seemed more painful, having lost the future that you were planning."

Tetsuya's eyes opened, and Kisuke felt a curious twinge at the level of torment in them.

"It is about the baby, then?"

"Yes."

Tetsuya took a shaky breath, then loosed it in a sound of pain as a swell of discomfort radiated in his lower abdomen. Instantly, Kisuke moved closer to him and helped him lie down.

"I think it's time for your first infusion," the shopkeeper said, pausing to rub his hands together and raising his reiatsu.

He laid his palms gently on Tetsuya's slim belly and the two men gazed down at his hands as he worked.

"I'm sorry if this brings back bad memories of your loss," Kisuke said sympathetically, "Kind of makes me wonder why you went along with this so easily, given that deal you've had with Orochi. If you don't mind my asking, what is it you were protecting that you think you can give up now?"

Tetsuya went quiet for several minutes, just watching as the shopkeeper continued the gentle infusion.

"It wasn't easy making the decision," he said finally, "I did it because I didn't want Ichigo to die. As bad as the consequences will be for me, no one is going to die because I have broken my promise to Orochi."

"But, something bad is going to happen, obviously."

"Yes, it is."

"And what is that?"

Tetsuya took a steadying breath.

"You remember earlier, when I offered to make a child with Orochi…the reaction that Byakuya-sama had?" he asked.

"Yeah, he looked like he would murder the guy for touching you."

"And his words were that I was not, under any circumstances, going to have a child with Orochi."

"Yeah, I heard that."

"Byakuya-sama despises Orochi, but he comes from a powerful part of the family, so he cannot be discounted. In fact, should Byakuya-sama die without an heir, Orochi would be in line for leadership of the clan."

"I don't think that would be good for anyone."

"No, it would not. But, it is a fact. Their mostly silent feud has stretched over a century, since Byakuya-sama was officially made heir when he came of age. The fact that he has a child on the way may embolden his enemies within the family. He is going to have to be very careful now. Sadly, although I would normally be his protector through such a threat, I am in no condition to do that now."

"It's okay," Kisuke said reassuringly, "Byakuya's got friends around him. I, for one, will not let him get hurt, so don't worry, okay?"

"That is a comfort," Tetsuya said gratefully, "Thank you."

"But, getting back to you and the devil incarnate that you made this deal with. What, exactly, is the deal? And what is Orochi going to do when he knows you've broken it?"

Tetsuya looked up into Kisuke's concerned eyes, his heart pounding.

"You heard Byakuya-sama say that Orochi was the father of my lost child?" he asked in a shaky voice.

"Yeah, I heard that too."

"The…the truth is that my child had two fathers, as is known to happen in breeder males when they are with two partners at once and they become pregnant from the encounter."

"So, Naoki was also your baby's father?"

"Yes."

Tetsuya's heart pounded harder and his shook harder.

"Orochi and Naoki were both father's to my child…and the truth is…th-that the baby did not die."

"What?" Kisuke asked, frowning.

"Orochi convinced me that both Byakuya-sama and Isas would never let the baby be born," Tetsuya explained, "So, we hid my continued pregnancy…and when I gave birth, Orochi took the child and gave him to a family in the Rukongai. In exchange, I go to Orochi when he demands it…and I allow him to do whatever he wants as payment to let me see my son."


	9. At Arm's Length

**Chapter 9: At Arm's Length**

 **XXXXXXXXXX**

 **(Just a quick note to acknowledge a question that came up after the last chapter about me aging Ichigo a little. Yup, I did. This story takes place while Aizen is in Hueco Mundo. Kubo has Ichigo at age fifteen, but I aged him up because I do not write stories with underage characters engaging in sexual relationships. I always write Ichigo as adult aged. This is a personal preference and it is a requirement of the site, which I respect. There is nothing that changes in a bad way in the story if Ichigo is a little older, so I see nothing wrong in doing as I have done. Soap operas age up their characters all of the time. So, anyway, that's the scoop. I'm glad the question was asked and happy to put my answer out there. That said, here's more of the story to enjoy. :) Happy reading! Cheers, Spunky)**

 **XXXXXXXXXX**

Uryu stood in the shade of a plum tree, on the grassy bank of the river that ran through a little park near Urahara Kisuke's shop. His blue eyes bore a heaviness as he gazed into the swiftly running water. Though his body remained calm and alert, his mind worked at the troubling pieces of what was happening.

 _This situation is just crazy. There is no way that Ichigo is ready for any of this. Having a child when he's only eighteen. It doesn't help that he didn't choose to make a baby. It was just…done to him. I know that it was the only way that Kisuke could figure out to save his life, but that doesn't change the fact that it's really thrown his life into chaos._

 _Why does that bother me so much?_

Uryu felt a shift in the energy around him, then he caught a hint of Renji's warm, masculine scent on the breeze. He felt the shinigami's cinnamon eyes observing him and was thrown back for a moment into the delirious, unplanned kiss they had shared.

 _Stop it!_

 _It was just a stupid mistake. He doesn't even remember it happening, and I shouldn't be thinking about it every time he shows up._

"Is there some reason you're standing back there, staring at me, Renji?" he asked.

"I wasn't staring," Renji said off-handedly, "I was just wondering why you're out here, moping by yourself."

"Moping?" Uryu repeated in a dismissive tone, "I wasn't moping. I was thinking."

"About?" Renji asked, moving to stand alongside him and crossing his muscular, tattooed arms.

The breeze carried even more of his scent. Uryu wanted to be annoyed, but instead…

 _It's warm._

 _I feel a little dizzy when I breathe it in._

 _Why is this happening?_

 _Renji is a shinigami and I am a quincy. Even if he did kiss me and I reacted, he didn't mean for that kiss to happen, and I didn't ask for the reaction I had. I'm not doing this. I'm not being lured by him._

"I guess you don't have to tell me if you don't want to," Renji said, rolling his eyes, "I can go if I'm interrupting your thoughts or something."

"What?" Uryu said, blinking as he came back into reality, "No, you don't have to leave. I was just…"

He paused and he let out a frustrated breath, looking back down into the rushing current.

"I get it," Renji said, earning him a skeptical look from the quincy youth.

"You get it?" he asked, "I'm glad if you do, because I sure don't get it at all. I mean, there's no way Ichigo is ready for any of this. It's not just the baby, I just don't see how he's going to handle having something like that between Kuchiki Byakuya and him."

Renji frowned and shrugged.

"They're different, yeah," he reasoned.

"That's an understatement," Uryu said dryly, "For starters, Ichigo is…he's human. He's eighteen years old. Even though Byakuya's age, here in the living world, wouldn't be that much older, he's been alive for over two hundred years. That gives him way more experience."

"Yeah, Taicho's got more experience," Renji agreed, "but that doesn't have to be a bad thing. I mean, it gives him perspective that can help when he talks to Ichigo."

"Well, Ichigo isn't in much of a frame of mind for listening, last I checked," Uryu said, surprising himself with the amount of anger that he felt seething beneath his own words, "and besides, I don't know how much he should be listening to a guy who was going to kill his own sister."

"Hey, you know that Taicho didn't really want to kill Rukia," Renji objected, "You were there, on Sokyoku Hill. We all heard what he said, even though some of us were barely conscious after Aizen's defection.

"Well, he was going to kill Rukia," Uryu argued.

"And Ichigo stood up to him," Renji countered, "Taicho admitted he was wrong, and they ended the conflict."

"After a lot of bloodshed, yes," Uryu agreed bitterly.

"The point is that Ichigo can stand up for himself in their relationship."

"It doesn't seem like they have any functional relationship," Uryu snapped, "and how well is going to stand up to Byakuya when he's not just pregnant with the man's child, he's also blind and powerless? I don't know about you, because I know you're closer to Byakuya now, but I don't trust him, and I don't think Ichigo can right now, either. Even you have to admit that there are doubts about how much he could be there for Ichigo. After all, he's still a clan leader and he still gets pressure from the elders, doesn't he?"

"W-well, yeah, I'm sure he does," Renji said, looking a little taken aback, "Sorry, I didn't notice you were paying that much attention to everything when you were at Kuchiki Manor."

"Paying attention to things is the only way that my kind have survived so long after the shinigamis…"

"I know. I know," Renji retreated hastily, "The shinigamis slaughtered the quincies. I haven't forgotten, and I don't expect you to either. I was just saying that I didn't realize how much you were paying attention to how things work in the noble families."

"It's the only smart thing to do," Uryu reasoned, "And I guess it's because I was paying attention that something else about all of this occurred to me."

"What's that?" Renji asked, "What's on your mind?"

Uryu's blue eyes fastened on Renji's confrontationally.

"Don't you think," he inquired, "that a clan leader having a baby with, not just a man he's not married to, but a _human_ , is going to cause repercussions?"

"Yeah, I'm sure it will," Renji said, shrugging briefly, "but Byakuya can handle that."

"Can he?" Uryu pressed, "A guy who has already transgressed by bringing outsiders into the family and who promised not to break their laws again?"

"W-well…" Renji stammered uncertainly.

"And if he can't protect Ichigo from them and Ichigo is blind and powerless and can't protect himself, then where does that leave him?" Uryu demanded.

Renji stiffened and his red-brown eyes flickered aggressively.

"It leaves him with us!"

XXXXXXXXXX

"I will need to open your yukata to touch you directly for the infusion," Byakuya explained, waiting as Ichigo absorbed the words.

The younger man's lips scowled.

"Do you really need to be touching me like that?" he asked, "The reiatsu will pass through my body, so won't it pass through my clothes too?"

"It will," Byakuya affirmed, "however, direct physical contact is beneficial in increasing the connections between parents and their growing child."

"Fine," Ichigo sighed, "whatever."

"Try to relax," Byakuya said quietly, opening the younger man's yukata, but leaving his nether parts tactfully covered, "I will only be touching the area over the spirit chamber. I will warn you that…you and I will be much more in tune with each others' emotions and we could even sense stray thoughts. We will certainly feel the baby's life vibrations, although his or her mind is not fully sentient yet. The important thing is to remain relaxed throughout the encounter, to allow for the smoothest exchange of balancing forces."

"Okay," Ichigo said more calmly.

He flinched only slightly as Byakuya's warm hands made contact with his lower abdomen, and he felt the older man's deep, grey eyes watching him. He heard the noble's little intake of breath, then felt a warmth blossom between Byakuya's extended hands and his own soft belly. Almost instantly, he sensed their connection with a distinct presence, a little, undeniable spark of life that flickered warmly in response to the flow of their combining energies.

"It is good to see you smile," Byakuya commented suddenly.

Ichigo stiffened.

"I didn't know I was smiling," he said shortly.

"It is a natural reaction to the opening of the bond between the three of us. Being sentient creatures, we crave connection, and there are very few times that offer a connection this close between living creatures. It is a quietly profound thing."

"You felt this with Hisana and your baby?" Ichigo asked.

He felt a sudden tension in the hands that touched him, and in the open link between them, he caught little flares of the elder man's pain.

"Sorry," he apologized, "I didn't mean to bring up something painful for you. I just…was curious. Rukia told me that Hisana was pregnant before."

"She was," Byakuya affirmed.

"You don't have to talk about it, if it bothers you," Ichigo assured him.

"The memory, itself, is actually quite pleasant," the noble reflected, "It is only related memories that become painful as I look back. Still, it is good to feel this again…despite the unplanned nature of what is happening. There is something… _healing_ about it."

"I wish I could say the same."

He hadn't meant to say the words aloud, and he immediately regretted having done so as little throbs of Byakuya's guilt and remorse radiated powerfully between them.

"Do you find the connection with our child unpleasant, or is it only being in close connection with me that you dislike?" asked the noble, "At very least, the fact that I can hide nothing from you should reassure you that I had no personal agenda in agreeing to this. Despite what you may believe, it was not an easy decision."

"I never said it was an easy decision for you," Ichigo argued, "I was just angry because everyone involved in the decision, except me, actually had a choice!"

"We couldn't wake you," Byakuya pointed out, "and time was limited. How were we supposed to ask you?"

"I know you _couldn't_ ," Ichigo acknowledged.

"And I know that it is a burden on you that we could not ask you," Byakuya replied, "Still, there is nothing we can do about that now. The only move that we have is to move forward from this. You did not get to make a decision about the creation of this child, but his or her life is now directly in your hands. Our child is strongly connected to you, and is aware of the unpleasant feeling of inner conflict. You can choose to radiate your feelings of anger and upset over what has happened, or you can seek peace in the knowledge that you are alive, aware, and able now to make your own decisions. No one is trying to infringe on your decisions now, Ichigo."

Ichigo's eyes narrowed.

 _I wonder._

 _I wouldn't do it, but…_

"What if my choice was to only carry the child to the point that I don't need to, to stay alive anymore?"

Byakuya withdrew his hands suddenly, but not before Ichigo felt the internal storm that his words had set off. He didn't have to see the noble's grey eyes to know that Byakuya had closed them against the very suggestion. Ichigo shivered in the sudden feeling of cold, and he closed his yukata and dropped his chin to partially conceal his face in the warm folds of the soft material. He could hear Byakuya's tensed breaths as the noble struggled to find some kind of answer.

"I think it is obvious that, first, you have no intention of taking that action, and second, you only said this to inflict pain," the noble said finally, his tone quiet and carefully controlled, "I think you also know that your attack found its mark."

"Byakuya, I'm sorry."

"What are you apologizing for?" the elder man asked, hiding any trace of emotion, "To you, I am still an adversary. I made the mistake of thinking for a moment that we had progressed to being something different. I will speak to Urahara immediately about having someone else with a strong enough resonance conduct any future infusions. Such toxicity would not be good for our child."

"Byakuya!"

Ichigo heard a swish of the noble's clothing and caught a breath of his sakura scent as he rose and swept out of the room.

"Damn it…"

Ichigo climbed out of bed, placing a hand on his aching abdomen and wanting to curse at his unsteady legs.

 _God, I'm pathetic!_

 _Is there anything even left of who I was before all of this? I can't see. I'm knocked up. I can barely walk._

 _Some hero…_

He stumbled in the direction he thought must be the door, then swore as he tripped over a chair and fell to the floor.

"GODDAMN IT!" he swore, dragging himself back to his feet.

He reached out in front of him, feeling his way to the wall, then he searched until he found the open door. He heard footsteps in the hallway and felt Rukia's presence.

"Ichigo, what are you doing out of bed?" she objected.

"Did you see Byakuya?" Ichigo asked, "He just…ran off, all of a sudden."

He didn't have to see his friend to know she had crossed her arms and was looking at him skeptically.

"What happened?"

"What do you mean, what happened?" Ichigo complained, "We had an argument, that's all. It happens! Geez, I just want to find him and talk to him."

"Well, it doesn't sound like Byakuya wants to talk to you…which makes me wonder. What the heck did you say to him to make him react like that?"

"What? I didn't…I mean, I wasn't…oh, never mind! He's probably ten miles away by now. Forget it!"

"No," Rukia said, rounding on him, "it's obvious that you did something to really upset him. What was it, Ichigo? What do you do to him?"

"Hey, kids," Kisuke called out as he and Tetsuya appeared in the hallway, stepping out from the shopkeeper's bedroom, "what's all the ruckus? Ichigo, you shouldn't be up and around yet."

"I thought that my cousin was giving you a reiatsu infusion," Tetsuya mused.

"He was," Ichigo said, frowning, "but we had…a disagreement, and he left."

Tetsuya exchanged worried glances with Kisuke.

"I should go and speak to him," Tetsuya said, turning back into the bedroom.

Ichigo frowned.

"I don't know how he's going to find Byakuya, if Byakuya doesn't want to be found. Tetsuya is as powerless as I am, isn't he?"

"Well, he can't follow Byakuya back into Soul Society," Kisuke explained, "but being the guy's bodyguard and healer, he can anticipate Byakuya's moves. Tetsuya will find him. The question is…what's Byakuya gonna tell him about what happened here?"

"I'm curious about that too," Rukia added, "Ichigo, my brother doesn't just get up and run out of rooms on a whim. If Byakuya left in a hurry, he was either hurrying to get somewhere because of an emergency, or he was trying to leave before revealing something he didn't want seen. Just what happened that made him leave like that?"

Ichigo let out a heavy breath and sagged against the wall.

"I think you already know, it's my fault. I said something that upset him, and Byakuya realized that this just wasn't going to work. He said that Kisuke should find someone who resonates strongly enough with me to continue the infusions, and he left."

The hallway went silent for a moment as Rukia's expression went from angry to worried and Kisuke's eyes narrowed knowingly.

"Ichigo, Byakuya knows that it's best for the baby if the two parents conduct the infusions," he said sternly, "For him to decide that…"

"Look, he said it, himself after trying to do one of the infusions," Ichigo interrupted, "We may not be enemies, but we're still adversaries. And _you_ had to know, going in, that while we were doing the infusions, we wouldn't be able to hide what we really feel from each other."

Ichigo stopped as he heard Rukia give a little shocked gasp.

"So, that's it, then?" she asked in a small voice, "Byakuya sensed that you still hate him that much?"


	10. A World of Second Chances

**Chapter 10: A World of Second Chances**

A flash step sounded in the park, near where Renji and Uryu stood on the bank of the river. The two young men turned and spotted Byakuya a short distance away and Renji took a step towards the solemn looking noble, starting to speak. But he stopped as Uryu touched his arm lightly and shook his head in warning.

"Look at his expression," the quincy said softly, "I don't think he wants company."

"Yeah," Renji agreed, looking more closely, "I think you're right."

The two young men stepped into the cover of the nearby brush, watching as Byakuya looked quietly up at the crescent moon.

"His reiatsu is really disturbed," Uryu noted.

"Uh-huh, I feel it too," Renji said, narrowing his cinnamon colored eyes, "I wonder what's got him so riled. He doesn't look mad, but then he's good at hiding stuff like that."

"I sense someone coming," Uryu warned him.

"What? Really? I don't sense anything."

Uryu arched an eyebrow and nodded in Byakuya's direction as a flash step sounded and Byakuya's younger cousin appeared near his side.

"You sensed Tetsuya like that?" the redhead mused, shaking his head and looking impressed, "Damn…I hardly ever sense that guy before he appears."

Byakuya gave no sign of noticing Tetsuya at first, and his blue-eyed cousin didn't speak, but gradually as the two looked up into the sky together, Byakuya's reiatsu calmed and he finally broke the silence between them.

"I suppose you are wondering why I am here and not at Urahara's shop, giving Ichigo an infusion."

"Ichigo told us that you had some sort of disagreement and you left. He also said that you were going to request that Kisuke should find another person with strong enough resonance to conduct the infusions. Needless to say, that was a surprise."

Byakuya out a soft, unhappy breath, but gave no answer.

"I, of all people, know your feelings about the child that you and Ichigo are having together," Tetsuya added, "For you to take an action that does not seem the best action for your child suggests that something very disturbing happened between you and Ichigo."

"Do you think I should go back and do the infusions?" asked the Kuchiki leader.

"I don't know the situation," Tetsuya reasoned, "To give you an informed answer, I would need to know what passed between you and Ichigo."

Byakuya's stormy grey eyes dropped to look down into the rushing water.

"Ichigo is angry," he explained, "It is understandable, because we did thrust this upon him without him being able to say anything about it. And although he certainly knows that the situation was critical, it doesn't change the way he feels about where he stands now. To him, one moment he was a hero to Soul Society and the next…blind, powerless and impregnated by a man who was his enemy."

"But knowing all of that, I know you would have been respectful of his need to vent that anger, and you would not have held it against him if he lashed out. That you have had such a reaction to whatever passed between you suggests that it took on something of a very disturbing and personal nature."

"Yes," Byakuya admitted.

"I see. So…do you want to tell me what he said that upset you to the point that you would deem it better to have someone else do the infusions?"

Byakuya considered quietly for a moment.

"I knew, even as the words passed his lips, that he did not mean them," he said finally, "He was speaking out of hurt, and because having this situation forced on him left him feeling helpless to decide his own fate. I suppose he was attempting to impress upon me that feeling of helplessness."

"Hmm," Tetsuya mused, "And how did he do that? What did he say that, even knowing he did not mean it, still inflicted such distress on you?"

Byakuya's eyes rose and he turned to fasten them on Tetsuya's.

"Ichigo asked me what I would think if he only carried the child until he no longer had to, to recover fully."

Within the bushes, Renji's mouth opened and Uryu swiftly clapped a hand over it to keep him from being heard as he breathed a few words of disbelief.

Tetsuya's blue eyes widened and his hands took hold of Byakuya's.

"He said this to you?" the younger noble asked disbelievingly.

"He has no intention of doing such a thing."

"I understand that," Tetsuya acknowledged, "I just…I didn't realize the depth of emotion that he was experiencing…to say such a thing, even not meaning it."

"In all fairness, he had no knowledge that Hisana and I lost a child."

"Even so…to manipulate your emotions like that."

"Exactly," Byakuya agreed, "I know that Ichigo will not do this, and I also understand that he is angry and feels helpless to make his own choices, but to act out in that way suggests a toxicity that could come to affect our child. At least one of us must have the sense to realize this and to take action to ensure the best environment for our child's development."

"I see what tasks your heart, Byakuya-sama," Tetsuya said softly, "But…have you considered that perhaps Ichigo will realize that he went too far and want to improve your relations? As much as Ichigo tends to react impulsively, you have said, yourself, on occasion that he does step back after and analyzes things more receptively."

"Hmm, I have said that."

Tetsuya gave him a small smile of encouragement.

"Then, that being the case, maybe after a bit of time given for reflection, it would be advisable to speak to Ichigo again?"

"Perhaps, given time," Byakuya agreed, "however, I do not know how the situation would change. He might regret how he expressed his anger over the situation, but he may still be angry. I do not want that anger impacting our child, Tetsuya."

"Ah, I see," Tetsuya reflected, "and what if Ichigo should come to you? Are your own emotions clear in this? Do you think that if Ichigo can come to terms with his righteous anger, you can forgive him for intentionally hurting you?"

Byakuya's frown deepened.

"You think I would hold a grudge against him?"

"I don't think you would choose to do so, no," Tetsuya said with certainty, "but you and I both know that emotions do not have to be acted upon to radiate strongly between people."

"That is why I told Ichigo that I would ask Kisuke to find another who could perform the necessary infusions. Tetsuya, whatever emotions may be radiating between Ichigo and me, this child is innocent and must not be made to suffer because of us."

"I think that, in that way, you and Ichigo already agree," Tetsuya assured him, "and Byakuya-sama given that after you left, Ichigo tried to follow you, I think you should consider going back and giving him a chance to make amends."

Byakuya gave him cousin a curious look.

"He tried to follow me?"

"He did," Tetsuya affirmed, "and although he was still conflicted, he seemed to want to talk more about the situation with you. It seems that although you two had a terrible moment, you were beginning to work at your differences. I know it is difficult. Ichigo is a spirited and impulsive person, but he is a good person."

Tetsuya smiled gently and looked into his cousin's troubled eyes.

"And the man who could look at the mess I was when I left Itamigiri and could see me as anything but a slave, would not miss the potential that is only now beginning to form in the aftermath of this very complicated situation."

"Tetsuya."

"You and Ichigo are both strong people," Tetsuya persisted, "You are very different, but I've begun to notice how those differences balance."

"What do you mean?" Byakuya asked, his frown turning curious.

"It did not escape me," Tetsuya reasoned, "that neither you nor Ichigo wanted Rukia to be executed. You both wished for her to live, but you were bound to the rules of the family and the noble clans, and while you fought him with your body, _your heart_ was where his was. In the end, intentionally or not, Ichigo became the hand that saved her on your behalf…by besting you in battle and earning the right."

"I know this. You know I still suffer over the role I played in all of that, especially given how Aizen played me, using my blind devotion to the law."

"But look past your feelings of regret and see how the two of you can work together," Tetsuya urged him.

"And how is that, exactly?"

"As before, there is a desire that you both have. You both want the best for your child, and the best thing for your child is to have two parents who will put aside their own misgivings for the love of this one they have made together. Byakuya-sama, I really believe that you should go back and let Ichigo say what he wants to say to you. Listen to his needs and do your best to calm him. He will be more receptive now. I know he will. But, you both have to be willing to continue to try."

Byakuya pulled his hands gently free from Tetsuya's and looked out over the rushing river again.

"And what happens when Ichigo later learns that in addition to everything else, he is also, by noble law, already my common law spouse? I haven't told him this…"

"That is simple," Tetsuya said firmly, "Tell him yourself and don't let such a thing come out in the wrong way."

"That is risky."

"Yes, it is. But it is better if he hears it from you. It will speak to your dedication to including him in managing your future. Ichigo has been conflicted in large part because he was not included in the decisions that have affected his life, up to this point. That being understood, maybe it is time to begin including him. After all, while the marriage is a fact on paper, you and Ichigo will set the actual terms of how you live. Show him a willingness to offer him some kind of freedom within the boundaries, and maybe the two of you can begin to work together. After all, you did not wish to be married either, right?"

"That is correct," Byakuya admitted softly.

"Then, in that way too, you are in agreement. Please, go back and let him talk to you. Tell him this last thing and give the two of you a better chance to overcome your differences."

"You really think that we can?" Byakuya asked quietly.

"I know what kind of people you both are," Tetsuya said firmly, "I believe in you."

Byakuya's dark eyes closed and he breathed slowly, gathering himself before answering.

"Then," he answered finally, "I will do what I can to ensure that your confidence is well placed."

"I know it is," Tetsuya said, smiling, "Please, go back now and talk to him."

Byakuya nodded, then he bent slightly and kissed his younger cousin's soft cheek.

"Arigato, Tetsuya, for being the voice of reason when I needed it," he said gratefully, "I don't think you know how well you have repaid me for saving you all those years ago. You are a blessing."

"Don't be so quick to thank me," Tetsuya chuckled, "There is still much that needs to be resolved."

"There is," Byakuya agreed, "but your encouragement has given me that much more determination to resolve it. I will go now and do what I can to fix this."

Tetsuya smiled and breathed a sigh of relief as Byakuya's flash step sounded and he disappeared. Within the bushes, Renji and Uryu relaxed slightly, considering everything they had overheard. Renji shook his head and sighed.

"Man, I had no idea about the marriage thing," he said, frowning, "Ichigo's not gonna like that."

"No," Uryu agreed, "but having a little experience with how noble families work, I do understand Byakuya's position."

"Yeah, well, Ichigo's not noble and he doesn't have that experience. He's gonna be mad."

"Well, if Byakuya takes his cousin's advice, he may be able to calm Ichigo down and get him to listen."

"Maybe, but we shouldn't hold our breath," Renji huffed, "C'mon, we should get back."

The two moved carefully, not wanting to disturb Tetsuya, who stood silently on the riverbank, looking into the water. Renji and Uryu were still not clear of the bushes, when the reiatsu around them darkened suddenly and a man suddenly appeared near Tetsuya. Uryu felt a powerful twinge of warning as the black-eyed man caught Tetsuya's attention and Tetsuya stiffened and looked up at him silently.

"Tetsuya," the man said in a low, stern voice, "we were interrupted before."

"Who is that?" Uryu breathed, his heart pounding, "His reiatsu is…constricting."

"Kuchiki Orochi," Renji growled, laying a hand on his sword hilt and glaring through narrowed eyes, "He's forbidden to come within a mile of Tetsuya, and he knows it!"

"What should we do?" Uryu asked, "Do we show ourselves?"

"Hang on," Renji said, laying a hand on his arm, "We'll watch them for a moment. But, if that bastard makes a move…"

"I get it," Uryu said, his heart pounding harder as he gathered his own power and prepared his bow, "I'm ready."

"You shouldn't be here, Orochi," Tetsuya said sternly, "You know that if Byakuya-sama senses you…"

Orochi's hand slipped under Tetsuya's chin and he glared down into his cousin's eyes, his own beginning to glow a dark, dangerous red.

"The snake is hungry, Tetsuya," he hissed softly.

Tetsuya shivered.

"My reiatsu is low," Tetsuya answered warily, "Orochi…a lot has happened here."

"So, I see, if you are becoming so defiant," Orochi growled warningly, "Have you forgotten? It is not regular power that the snake feeds on. It is that deeper power that you possess that it hungers for."

"Deeper power?" Renji whispered, staring, "What the hell?"

"It sounds like something is going on between them," Uryu concluded.

"Yeah, and apparently it's going on behind Taicho's back," Renji said angrily.

"Come, Tetsuya," Orochi beckoned the younger noble, "You know we have no choice. Do you want it to take over? What do you think it would do you? To _him_? Do you think it would let him live if you refused?"

"You don't understand, Orochi!" Tetsuya argued.

He sucked in a worried breath, pulling back as Orochi's hand wrapped around his wrist.

"You heard me," Orochi said more insistently, "You _know_ there's no choice, Tetsuya!"

"I know. I just…"

"What is wrong with you?" Orochi demanded, "I thought that you understood the terms of the contract. Tetsuya, if you do not do this…"

"I know," Tetsuya said, tears coming to his eyes, "but you need to know that I haven't just lost my powers. Orochi. To save Ichigo's life…they needed transformative cells and Kisuke found a way to use them."

Tetsuya let out a sharp gasp of pain and fear as Orochi grabbed him roughly by the shoulders.

"What are you telling me?" Orochi snapped furiously, "Tetsuya, what is it that is more important to you than _our child_?"

Renji's body went taut and his jaw clenched.

 _Their child?_

"Renji," Uryu whispered, "What is going on with them?"

"We are leaving now," Orochi growled, "No more argument!"

He started to pull Tetsuya along with him, then both men stopped and stared in surprise as Renji appeared between them, his sword drawn and pointing at Orochi's throat.

"Get the fuck away from him," the enraged redhead snarled, "or I'll take your goddamned head off!"

Orochi gave no answer, but glared at Tetsuya through deadly eyes. Uryu appeared next to Renji, his bow glowing brightly and his aim on Tetsuya's wicked cousin.

"You heard Renji," Uryu said sternly, "Get out of here!"

Orochi's eyes remained locked steadily on Tetsuya's.

"You know it can't wait forever," he said in a warning tone, "Be very sure in your choices, Tetsuya."

Orochi disappeared, and Renji and Uryu relaxed and lowered their weapons. Renji gave Tetsuya an appraising look.

"You okay?" he asked quietly.

"Yes."

"You wanna tell me what that was all about?" the redhead inquired.

Tetsuya swallowed nervously.

"How much did you hear?" he asked in a shaky voice.

"All of it," Renji admitted, his voice growing more tense.

"What you must think of me," Tetsuya whispered defeatedly.

"Hey," Renji said sternly, "whatever I saw, whatever I heard, I know one thing for a fact."

Tetsuya looked back at him silently.

"Kuchiki Tetsuya would absolutely _never_ betray his beloved cousin and leader. Whatever is going on, it must be pretty bad for you not to tell him."

Tears filled Tetsuya's blue eyes.

"This is…not something Byakuya-sama could fix…although, he, most certainly would try, but as what expense? This involves something much more powerful than he could handle on his own, and more than one innocent life could be lost if he tries to intervene."

"And you think putting your faith in Orochi is _better_?"

Tetsuya sniffed and shook his head.

"Orochi is far from innocent, but he knows we have no power to stop this. I don't know what can, and that terrifies me."

"It must, if you're choosing not to tell him," Renji said, his frown deepening.

"Are you going to say anything?" Tetsuya asked softly, "I understand if you feel the need to do so. At this point, I think it's not going to be something we can hide anymore."

"I'm not going to tell Taicho," Renji said solemnly, "I think he'd go ballistic and kill that bastard, just like you say."

"You can't begin to understand the consequences of that."

"I don't know the situation," Renji agreed, "but let me give you some advice. If you want to protect Taicho, and I _know_ you do, you think about the fact that you are now married to the guy who made Ichigo strong enough to defeat Taicho in battle, and who just figured out how to save Ichigo when no one else could. If there's anyone who can help you, Tetsuya, it's Kisuke. Go to him and let him help you. Do it right now."

"I think you're right," Tetsuya agreed, relaxing slightly and brushing the tears away from his eyes. Thank you, Renji-san. I appreciate your advice…and your discretion."

Uryu watched as Tetsuya disappeared, then he looked up at Renji questioningly.

"What?" the redhead asked, scowling, "Do you think I should say something to Taicho?"

"No," Uryu said calmly, "I think Kisuke has a better chance of resolving this, but…"

"But what?"

"But you should know, what I sensed around that man was not just raw power, it was an evil power, and I don't think Orochi's controlling it."


	11. Shelter

**Chapter 11: Shelter**

" _Byakuya sensed that you still hate him that much?"_

Ichigo let out a hissing breath and rubbed his hands over his face. Kisuke smiled disarmingly, moving forward and slipping an arm around the shinigami substitute's shoulders.

"Hey, like I said, you shouldn't be up and around yet. Let's get you back in bed."

"But…"

"Ah, no buts," the shopkeeper insisted, guiding him back into the room, "You just lie down and you and Rukia can talk while I go and get you some hot tea and food, okay?"

"Eh…all right," Ichigo sighed, feeling the edge of the bed, then climbing back into it.

He sat back against the pillows, waiting silently as he heard Rukia sit down in the chair beside the bed. A long moment passed between the two, then Rukia took a steadying breath and broke the silence.

"Do you…still hate Byakuya, because of what happened with me?" she asked warily, "I guess I understand why you might, but Ichigo, you shouldn't."

"I don't hate Byakuya," Ichigo said sullenly, "I don't like what he does sometimes. He can sometimes be a real jerk. You know that, even if you try not to blame him."

"It's not just that I don't want to blame him," Rukia said, frowning, "It's that I see his decisions aren't always easy, and they aren't always what he wants to do. In a lot of ways, Byakuya never really gets to just do what he wants to do. I suppose, because you do usually get to make your choices on your own, you expect he should too?"

"Well, he is the family leader," Ichigo pointed out, "That means he makes the decisions, right?"

Rukia's frown deepened into a scowl that Ichigo didn't have to see to feel it.

" _Baka_!" she spat, "You really think that Byakuya just decides what he wants to do and dictates that to the family? Really?"

"Ah…well, I mean, being leader has to mean he has some power," the substitute said in a defensive tone, "He's the strongest, right? He wouldn't be leader if he wasn't. So, I imagine Byakuya can stand up to them."

"He can," Rukia agreed, "but my point is that Byakuya doesn't just get to make whatever decision he wants. When my brother decides something, he has to think about how it will impact everyone in the family. He has to stop and think about how the elders will react, how the subfamily leaders will respond and how his decision might burden the people he leads. You should know that doesn't make it easy."

"I guess not, but at least he…"

"Listen to me," Rukia said sternly, "You feel trapped right now, don't you?"

"Yeah," Ichigo admitted, "You know I wouldn't choose to be blind, powerless and knocked up right now. Is there something wrong with that?"

"There is nothing wrong with that," Rukia snapped, "What's wrong is you thinking that Byakuya would just do what he wants, when there are other people's lives involved. If Byakuya did something irresponsible…"

"I know," Ichigo interrupted, "It would dishonor the family in the eyes of the other families."

"It's not just about dishonor, stupid!" shouted Rukia, "It's about exactly what you were mad at him about, and if you'll shut up and listen instead of interrupting, I'll explain it to you!"

"Fine!" Ichigo huffed, shaking his head, "Sorry."

"Ichigo," Rukia said solemnly, "Byakuya knows that when he makes a decision, _any decision_ , his choices could have real impact on other people. Think of how you feel right now. You don't like that a decision was made that impacted your life, and you had nothing to say about it. That situation happens every day in noble life, and Byakuya is _aware_ of the responsibility he has. The family may not always agree with his every decision, but he has earned their trust, so they accept what he decides, when he must make decisions for them."

Ichigo paused, letting the words sink in.

"You can be sure," Rukia went on, "that when my brother and the others were making the decision to take the path they had to, to save your life, Byakuya was _aware_ of how you would feel, being left out of the decision. He _knew_ you would be angry, and that he would be the main target of that anger. Yet, even knowing you would be angry, Byakuya knew that you wanted to live! You didn't want to die like that, did you?"

"Well, of course not, but…"

"But, _nothing_!" Rukia snapped, "My brother thought carefully about it, and in his decision, to the best of his ability, he thought about your feelings and how you were likely to react. And don't you think he regretted that it would make you so upset?"

"Yeah…"

"Then, why don't you stop wallowing in self-pity and realize that Byakuya wasn't just going off and making a snap decision that changed your life. He changed his own life too. Do you think he wants to have someone as angry as you are, carrying his child? Have you given any thought to how this feels to _him_ , having lost my sister and his first child?"

"I have. I just…"

"Ichigo, neither you nor my brother is getting what he would have chosen. You should try to remember that when you go blaming him for your situation."

"I don't…"

"Yes, you do."

Ichigo's jaw clenched stubbornly for a long moment, then he let out a ragged sigh and deflated.

"I guess I was blaming him," he confessed, "I was just…so angry that I didn't have any choice."

"And each of the people who made the decision to do what they did to save your life, had to overlook their own wishes too. Kisuke didn't want to do something that could hurt you and make you angry, but he didn't want you to die. Tetsuya didn't want to end up married to Kisuke, who is a stranger to him, and have his child, but he didn't want to lose you. Byakuya didn't want to have a child with someone who doesn't love him, but he didn't want Soul Society to lose its great protector. It wasn't easy for any of them. It really wasn't."

"Yeah," Ichigo agreed softly, his head bowing slightly, "I guess you're right."

He paused, frowning curiously.

"Did you say that Tetsuya married Kisuke?"

"Ah…" Rukia said, catching her breath, "yeah, about that…"

She felt a rush of relief as the door to the room opened, and turned, thinking it was the shopkeeper returning. Her jaw dropped and she stared in silence as Byakuya stepped back into the room.

"What is it?" Ichigo asked, then he paused, tilting his head a little, "Is that…Byakuya?"

"Yes," the noble answered calmly, "I left hastily before. I think we had more to say."

"Yeah."

Rukia stood and headed for the door, but as she reached it, Byakuya placed a staying hand on her shoulder.

"I think that you should be here," he said quietly, "Perhaps it would be best for us to discuss this…as a family."

XXXXXXXXXX

Tetsuya reached Urahara's shop and paused outside for a moment, gathering himself. His blue eyes were wary just looking at the front door and thinking about the conversation that he and his husband must have.

 _I have carried this alone, but for Orochi, for so many years. It should be a relief to unburden myself, and I know Kisuke is a safe place to put these worries. Renji-san is right that Kisuke is a person with an uncanny ability to weigh options and to see the possibilities. Still, I shudder to think of what will happen if…_

A sudden stinging sensation on his right ankle interrupted his thoughts, and Tetsuya looked down in surprise and dismay at the small, shining black snake that had wrapped around his ankle.

 _Oh no…_

The effects came on quickly, an odd numbness that relaxed his body and a fogginess that invaded his mind. Tetsuya's blue eyes blinked and he breathed more slowly as he sensed the direction of the snake's master and moved to join him. Orochi waited for him a short distance away, concealed in a small grove of trees at the edge of the river park. His black eyes expressionless, he slipped a hand into Tetsuya's and opened a senkaimon.

As they moved forward together, Tetsuya shuddered and made a sound of pain upon coming into contact with the heavy reiatsu of Soul Society. Orochi's emotionless eyes blinked and registered comprehension. He turned them away from the senkaimon and instead led Tetsuya away from the shop, up a winding road that led through a prosperous neighborhood within the town. They turned onto the walkway in front of one of the houses and proceeded quietly to the front door. Orochi reached into his clothing and produced a key that he used to let them inside. He closed the front door behind them, then he stood, facing Tetsuya and glaring down at his bowed head. His voice, when it sounded, wasn't like the voice he had used before, but had a more guttural, hissing sound to it.

"You are weak."

"I was injured recently," Tetsuya said quietly, "and I am with child."

He shivered at the sharp, angry hissing that his words evoked, but was surprised a moment later when the snake spirit calmed again.

"No matter. It will not affect our feeding. Is the child his?"

Tetsuya shivered harder, risking a look into Orochi's now abyssal looking black eyes.

"No."

"Whose?"

"I was impregnated by the Karakura shopkeeper, Urahara Kisuke," Tetsuya answered in a shaky voice.

A sharper, angrier hissing filled Tetsuya's ears and pushed hard against his mind, bringing a crushing feeling of constriction and intense pain.

"This does not affect our contract," the snake spirit spat, "He will be angry, but he knows better than to damage you. Come."

Orochi's hand took hold of Tetsuya's and the two walked through the home's lavish entry and down a long hallway to the master bedroom. Tetsuya's laid down on his back on the bed, unresistant as more slender black snakes seemed to crawl out of the air, and they wrapped themselves around his limbs, biting down into his pale flesh and deepening the snake spirit's control over him.

Orochi gave a sudden, gasping groan and dropped to his knees, holding his midsection. His eyes flared with black light and billowing black smoke erupted from his body and swirled around him. A hard shriek of pain escaped him as the body of a much larger snake emerged and pulled free of him. Orochi groaned again and collapsed onto the floor as the snake slid up the bed post, then slithered onto Tetsuya's restrained form. Sliding under his clothing and along his slim torso, it honed in on his left breast, then it sank its fangs in deeply.

White, glowing light exploded around the breach and the snake hissed delightedly, feeding hungrily on it, while Tetusya laid quietly in the grip of the snakes, looking dazedly at the ceiling above the bed.

 _It hurts, but it won't hurt the baby._

 _What is this spirit that possesses Orochi's zanpakuto? He told me what they know about it, but there is much about that spirit that is a mystery. And this radiant power it feeds on that is somehow housed and maintained in my body…what is it? Where did this power come from, and why is it not affected by my powerlessness?_

As the drain on his body increased, Tetsuya felt a heaviness fall over him, and his eyes blinked slowly, then slid shut. A ringing rose up in his ears, and by the time the snake's fangs released him, he was completely unconscious.

He woke to find himself lying alone in the bed in the now empty house. The smallest movement revealed what he already knew had happened in the wake of the wicked spirit's feeding.

 _When the snake re-enters Orochi's spirit core, their connection causes Orochi to crave connection with me. It's like he can't stop himself. I'm glad I was unconscious. I hate the feeling of his hands on me. His kisses burn my flesh. I wonder if he even feels pleasure when he is so desperate like that. I can imagine it feels lonely, because I can never return his love. Orochi's hatred and his love are the same…a poison he corrupts me with._

 _He may possess my body, but he will never corrupt my heart with his evil._

Tetsuya moved slowly as he climbed out of the bed. He paused, wincing and groaning at the pain movement caused, and a shiver passed through him as a small amount of blood and semen leaked onto his inner thigh.

 _I have to get out of here!_

His shaky hands found his scattered clothing and he dressed hastily and fled the house, carefully avoiding the open when he could. In minutes, he reached Urahara's shop, and he crept in through the back door, avoiding the ones he sensed were in the kitchen. On silent feet, he entered Kisuke's bedroom and hurried into the bathroom, where he threw off his tainted clothing and rushed into the shower before the water was warm.

He looked down at the already fading fang marking's on his left breast, and the tiny leakage of the odd white power.

 _Strangely, although that power restores Orochi's reiatsu after the snake feeds and invades him again, it doesn't heal my body. I feel the residual pain of both the snakes' bites and Orochi's inflamed passions._

 _I didn't want Orochi to touch me._

 _Even though we are not in love, I promised Kisuke fidelity._

 _How will I tell him?_

Tetsuya stepped back and leaned against the wall of the shower, then he slid down slowly until he knelt beneath the falling water. He wanted to cry, but felt pushed beyond tears and filled with a heaviness of heart that seemed to leave him unable to move. He remained in that place, unmoving except for the soft, quiet passage of breath.

 _Sometimes, in the noble's prison, I felt like this. I wanted to just disappear. The weight of captivity was so horrible, I just prayed for it to end. I thought that Byakuya's raid on the prison would set me free. In the naivete of youth, I believed that the prison I lived in was made of stone and steel._

 _I was wrong._

 _My body left the prison and I grew strong under Byakuya-sama's guidance. I earned the right to wear the Kuchiki name and to protect our family's leader. But the truth is…_

… _I am still a prisoner…_

The water grew lukewarm, then cool, then icy, but Tetsuya knelt relentlessly, his tortured mind moving in endless circles.

 _Why do I have this unexplained power?_

 _Why does the snake have to feed on it?_

 _Do I only exist to feed it?_

"Aren't you a little cold in there?" Kisuke's voice asked, shattering the quiet shell that Tetsuya had retreated into, "I think you're skin's turning as blue as your eyes. Let's get you out of there, okay?"

Tetsuya shivered as feeling returned to his body and realization struck his mind. He watched as Kisuke turned off the water, then offered a warm hand to help him to his feet.

"Let's get you in bed and I'll bring some hot tea."

The shopkeeper paused and his smile faded as he reached out and touched curious fingertips to a tiny sliver of white that still marked Tetsuya's now perfectly restored breast.

"What is this?"

He tried to look closer, but the little bit of white quickly faded. He met Tetsuya's eyes more sternly.

"I really think we need to have that talk we tried to have before. I know it's uncomfortable for you, and that it involves Orochi. But this…" he mused, looking down at his now dry fingertip, "Tetsuya, just that little bit of whatever that was, radiated a power I have never seen before. It makes me wonder…are you even a normal shinigami? And if not, then what are you?"


	12. What Makes a Family

**Chapter 12: What Makes a Family**

"You want us to discuss this as a family?" Ichigo repeated, frowning, "I guess the baby does make us family, but…"

He felt a strange sensation, and a moment later, he realized where he had felt it before.

 _Sometimes, there's a way that Byakuya looks at me…like there's something he wants to tell me, but he can't say the words. There's a feeling that goes along with that look he gives me, and this is that feeling!_

"Byakuya?" he prompted the noble.

"Hmm," Byakuya sighed, "the baby does connect us, but… _we set the terms for the strength of that connection_. Ichigo, no matter what the other facts of the situation are, the truth is, there is only so much that outside forces can do. We wield the greatest power to order our lives how we choose."

"Byakuya, what are you trying to tell me, here?" Ichigo asked more quietly, "I get the feeling that there's something you're not just coming out and saying. Is there more I don't know? Just spit it out. Just tell me."

The unsettled feeling in the noble's reiatsu increased.

"It can't be worse than what's already happened, right?" he asked.

"I suppose that depends on how you view it," Byakuya answered cryptically, "Ichigo, there is something more, and I have been dreading you learning of it, but not because I think it would make you angry, though I know it will."

Ichigo stiffened.

"And…I tell you this because I want it out of the way. I want there to be no more that can unsettle us. I do warn you that you will probably feel an adverse reaction to the news. I will understand if you are angry, but let me preface this by repeating, first, that _no matter what_ , you and I will determine what happens between us."

"What are you getting at?" Ichigo asked in a frustrated tone, "Byakuya, just say it."

"Very well," the noble said, drawing a steadying breath, "What I need to tell you is that because you are carrying a potential heir to the Kuchiki clan, there are rules that are meant to protect each of our claims to this child."

"But…I told you, the baby's going to live with me, not you," Ichigo reminded him.

"I know this," Byakuya assured him, "Remember, I said that whatever the clan rules say, we make our own decisions about our day to day life. If you do not wish for me to acknowledge the child, I shall respect your wishes and our child will wear the Kurosaki name."

"That's how I want it," Ichigo said in a tensed voice, "I don't want those old farts screwing up our kid, the way they d…"

"Ichigo…" Rukia cautioned him.

The substitute paused, somehow feeling the hurt that he knew Byakuya would never show on the surface.

 _It's weird. It's like I'm feeling his emotions, sensing them as they happen. I guess it could be the resonance. But…what Byakuya feels…is hurt? But, I guess that makes sense, doesn't it? I've just told him that I'll be taking the baby he helped to make and raising it away from him and his family. I insulted them and I started to insult him._

 _Damn._

"Byakuya," he inquired more calmly, "can we just agree that maybe raising our kid around your elders might be a bad idea? I mean, you were partially raised by that bunch of old geezers. That can't have been easy for you."

"It was not."

"But you were devoted to the clan."

"I was devoted to being made leader instead of my father," Byakuya said solemnly.

Ichigo froze for a moment.

"What?" he asked, tilting his head curiously.

"My father was…talented, but he was weak of body and he did not have the heart for battle. Still, he developed his ability, as was expected of an heir. He became fukutaicho of the sixth division, under my grandfather."

"Ginrei, right?"

"Yes. I had reached an age to try for the position, and to be made heir in his place. I had reached manifestation well ahead of any expectation. I was…driven to take my father's place so that he could be relieved of the responsibilities of their heir."

Ichigo's expression saddened.

"But, he died, right?" he asked tentatively.

"Yes," Byakuya affirmed, "Only weeks before he would have been able to step down, he was killed while investigating a hollow attack in the Rukongai. I did become heir, at that point, but it was under much darker circumstances. My grandmother was so grief stricken that she died shortly after. My mother had died in childbirth. I did grow up with the elders invading my personal life and trying to dictate my choices."

Ichigo betrayed just the hint of a smile.

"But, I heard it through the grapevine that you didn't just sit back and let them tell you what to do."

"I did not," Byakuya admitted, "I was rebellious, to a point, anyway. Gradually, the elders chipped away at my rebelliousness. Bit by bit, I gave in and fell into line. Hisana and Rukia were really the end of that time, and ever since, I have conducted myself in honorable fashion, though…sometimes to the breaking of my own heart."

Ichigo's smile grew a shade warmer and he reached out to where he sensed Rukia, taking her hand.

"You're talking about Rukia, aren't you?" he asked, "I know you never wanted her to die."

"I did not. However, I had cornered myself. I felt I had no choice."

Ichigo's chin rose and his unseeing eyes blinked.

"What do you feel now?" he asked, "Do you still feel cornered? Do you feel like you have to…to do things you don't want to?"

"Yes," Byakuya answered calmly, "I do not want to upset you further. I do not want to make demands on you. I want you to feel that, although there are rules about what they see in us, we have choices, Ichigo."

"O-kay, so uh, what are you getting at?" asked Ichigo, "You say there's something else? What is it that you seem so reluctant to tell me?"

Byakuya drew a slow breath.

"The presence of their potential heir brings a requirement of marriage," Byakuya confessed quietly.

"We…have to get married?" Ichigo asked, his frown returning, "But…you said that you would not acknowledge him."

"I did," Byakuya agreed, "and if, when the baby is born, you still wish it, I will make that my decision, however, due to rules of morality, an heir cannot be born out of wedlock, so all prospective parents are considered married under the rules of common law."

Ichigo's jaw dropped.

"Come again?" he managed shakily.

"What Byakuya said," Rukia informed him, "is that you are _already married_."

XXXXXXXXXX

Uryu watched as Renji headed back to Kisuke's shop, then he turned in the direction of the Ishida home. It didn't take him long, using his hirenkyaku, and he felt his father's presence long before he arrived. He found Ryuuken standing quietly on an upper balcony of the main house of the estate, smoking a cigarette and looking off into the distance. Uryu landed on the balcony and waited for his father to turn, but the elder Ishida merely tapped his cigarette lightly on the balcony rail, and watched the ashes fall.

"What is it?" he asked solemnly, "For someone who promised me that he would not help the shinigamis in exchange for the return of his powers, you are certainly spending a lot of time with them…especially with one of them."

"I'm not helping them," Uryu said in a low, challenging voice, "It's not my intention to help them in any way, but only that I have my own reasons for cooperating with them."

Ryuuken's head turned and his blue eyes studied his son's determined face for several long moments.

"And what do you want from me?" he asked, taking a long drag on his cigarette, then releasing the smoke slowly.

"I need to know what you can tell me about…about transcendent power."

Ryuuken scowled.

"Do I look like an archive to you?" he asked scathingly.

Uryu's jaw clenched stubbornly.

"I suppose that if you don't want to tell me, I can just use my own sun gate key and enter the shadows…the palace, myself."

"No."

"What do you mean, no?" Uryu demanded, stepping forward very slightly, "There may be a transcendent power at work in the area…"

"And if there is, you should leave it to those meant to handle it."

"And what if they _can't_ handle it?" Uryu snapped, "If they can't, then it's our responsibility to protect this town."

"And you think that a transcendent power is threatening it, do you?" Ryuuken asked icily, "What leads you to that conclusion?"

"Just something I heard," the younger Ishida explained, "There was a reference to a snake and to it feeding on a sh…on _a soul_."

"A _shinigami_ soul?" Ryuuken asked darkly.

"What does it matter, what kind of soul?" Uryu demanded, "If it's a threat…"

"Kill the soul it feeds on."

Uryu glared at his father indignantly as Ryuuken watched his reaction closely.

"That's the easiest answer, isn't it? Unless, of course, you feel an attachment to this…shingami."

XXXXXXXXXX

Tetsuya used the towel Kisuke handed him to dry himself, then he accepted a soft navy colored yukata and wrapped it around his slender body, tying it at the waist. He followed the shopkeeper out of the bathroom and the two sat down on the bed together. Kisuke gave Tetsuya a gentle smile and touched his hand.

"You feeling all right, now? It seems like Orochi wasn't gentle with you."

"Orochi doesn't know how to be gentle," Tetsuya said very softly, lowering his eyes, "Thankfully, I was not aware when he was taking his pleasure."

Kisuke's strong reiatsu flared beneath his skin.

"He raped you while you were unconscious?" Kisuke asked, "Tetsuya, maybe I should look you over a little better. He might have hurt you more than you think…or he might have hurt the baby."

"You may check," Tetsuya conceded, "but I don't think you will find anything. I'm used to his rough treatment and the baby's reiatsu feels fine."

Tetsuya cooperated silently as Kisuke conducted a quick examination, then carefully healed the damage Orochi had done. He pretended not to notice the flush that the intimate touching left on his youthful husband's lovely face. When he had finished, he took Tetsuya's hand in his, making the younger man look up at him through anxious eyes.

"It's okay," Kisuke said reassuringly, "I'm not angry at you. From what I see, this is kinda like a freight train that you can't stop. Isn't that right?"

Tetsuya let out a shaky breath.

"It feels that way," he admitted softly, looking down at their joined hands, "I first kept Orochi's secret because I was afraid of Orochi. Then, I kept it because I realized that this is not something Byakuya-sama could handle. I don't know who can handle it, if it can be handled at all."

Kisuke nodded encouragingly.

"Why don't you tell me exactly what we're dealing with."

Tetsuya let out a frustrated breath.

"That's part of the problem," he confessed, "I don't know exactly what it is. Orochi only knows a little, and I don't know if Isas knows more and just won't say, or if he doesn't know either. In any case, the problem is Kurohebi. Kurohebi is Orochi's power."

"His zanpakuto?" Kisuke inquired, "This is about Orochi's zanpakuto?"

Tetsuya gave his husband a wary look and took a steadying breath.

"Kurohebi," he said anxiously, "is not Orochi's zanpakuto."

"Huh?"

"I mean…he is now, but Orochi was born with an entirely different power."

Kisuke's inquisitive eyes darkened and narrowed with curiosity.

"Orochi was born with a power named Eika."

"He told you this?" Kisuke asked sternly.

"No," Tetsuya explained, "You see, Orochi and I have a strong resonance. As you know, resonance does not have to be a good thing."

"Right," the shopkeeper agreed, "Negative attachments can form and that can cause a kind of resonance too. I suspected that this was what I was feeling when I found you together in the training room."

As you also must know, powerful resonances cause deep bonding when souls are joined through acts of physical intimacy, or sometimes…"

"During extreme acts of domination and submission," Kisuke said, his voice touched with anger, "So, the evil he did to you, raping and torturing you, caused your resonance to deepen…and you saw something he didn't intend for you to see."

"Yes."

"And what was it that you saw, Tetsuya?"

The younger man's sapphire eyes closed and his face took on a look of torment.

"The memory was old. Orochi was a child when it happened. But, after his zanpakuto manifested and he learned her name, his father…"

"Isas?"

"Yes. Isas took Orochi deep into the forest, away from everything. He carefully shielded the area around them…then he tied Orochi down."

Tetsuya paused and his face paled, but he cleared his throat softly and went on.

"Isas took his sword and drove it into Orochi's spirit core, and it was then that the snake called Kurohebi exited his father's body, passed through the sword and invaded Orochi's spirit core. I heard Eika scream and then the shattering sound and more desperate screams as the snake slowly consumed her."

"Holy fucking hell…" the shopkeeper breathed, his eyes widening.

"There was only a shard left, and the snake turned and drove it into Orochi's heart," Tetsuya continued, "It was a promise and it was a threat. You see, Kurohebi isn't really a zanpakuto at all…or at least, it is not a zanpakuto that anyone here would carry normally. It is a snake spirit that needs to feed on other souls to live. Or…"

Tetsuya paused for a moment, his face growing anguished.

"Or," Kisuke concluded, "he had to find a special soul that he could feed on, that wasn't going to die during or after the feeding."

"Yes."

"And the snake chose you?"

"It did."

Kisuke gazed back at Tetsuya silently, his mind working.

"I do not know why I was chosen, except that there is a distinct power that I carry in my heart. I have never been able to connect with it to make it do anything. I have never been able to hear its voice or communicate with it. Arashi tells me that it was from my heart that he came when he emerged from my body to protect Byakuya-sama and me as we were escaping the prison. But, he does not know what power it is. We only know that the snake desires it. It does not want others to realize it's there…only the wielder. I imagine that if I had been a normal shinigami, the snake simply would have killed me for learning of it."

"But, since it lives off that power, or at least gets some strength from it, it can't kill you unless it wants to go back to draining multiple souls," Kisuke speculated.

His brow furrowed and his look of concern deepened.

"I think it was wise not to tell Byakuya," he commented, "We're gonna need to do that, but before we do, I need to take a closer look at you to see if a suspicion I have could help us out here."

"What suspicion is that?" Tetsuya asked hesitantly.

"Well…there aren't that many things this could be," the shopkeeper explained, "and none of them would be easy for us to deal with. I need to consult some sources to be sure, but…from the sound of this, I'm afraid that Orochi may just be…carrying a parasitic demon inside him…and that power of yours?"

Tetsuya's blue eyes rounded in shock.

"You think the power that it's feeding on in me is…?"

" _Transcendent_."


	13. I Will

**Chapter 13: I Will**

Ichigo sat silently on the bed in Kisuke's guest room, his body tensed and Rukia's words echoing in his mind. He felt an urge to react angrily, but something in what Byakuya had said before returned, and it was underscored by Rukia's recent reminder that the Kuchiki leader had as much reason as he to object. It was that, in the end that brought some calm back into his mind so that he in turn could relax slightly as he took a breath and gathered himself to answer. Byakuya and Rukia remained silent, allowing him to absorb the information and perhaps it was the fact of them doing that, which brought the beginnings of acceptance.

"We're already married," he repeated, trying to imagine what that really meant, "What does that mean?"

Byakuya and Rukia exchanged glances and Rukia took a breath to answer, but Byakuya laid a hand on her shoulder and shook his head very slightly.

 _Let him think about it._

"I mean…I _know_ what it means, but I guess what I'm wondering is how that works. Someone just says so, and no matter if you have a problem with it or I do, we're just married and we have to deal with it? And what happens because we're married? Do we have to live together? Do we…are we expected to…?"

"The _marriage_ is on paper only," Byakuya explained quietly, "The contract is a prepared statement that acknowledges that you are carrying a possible heir and that I am the father of that child. This gives my family the right to claim the child as a prospective heir and that activates the provision which makes us considered _wed_ until the claim of the heir is settled, at the successful birth of the heir. When the child is born, if the child is born alive and acknowledged, the marriage is upheld and we would then be formally wed. If the child does not survive, the contract is voided and never made public. If I do not acknowledge the child, the child is given the bearer's surname and is not considered a legitimate member of the Kuchiki family. The child would have no rights to our name or holdings. You and I would be barred from publicly affirming that the child is related to me."

Byakuya paused for a moment, watching Ichigo's face carefully as the younger man considered.

"We don't have to live together?" Ichigo asked.

"No."

"What about sleeping together, at least once? Don't we have to do that?" Ichigo inquired, frowning more deeply, "I thought that for a marriage to be legal…"

"That is in the case where there is an official courtship and a formal marriage. The marriage contract for a child conceived out of wedlock assumes that if the child is later acknowledged, the consummation is proven by the existence of the child. If the contract is voided by the death or the lack of acknowledgement of the child, the point is moot."

"Okay," Ichigo said uneasily, "but what happens while I'm pr-…uh…while I'm like this? Are there rules we have to follow? What do we have to do?"

Byakuya sighed softly.

"We are merely required to say nothing publicly and to attend to the well-being of the child. I will provide the reiatsu for the child and you will commit to taking proper care of yourself and our unborn. That is all that is required of us. Perhaps this is less onerous than what you might have thought?"

"Yeah," Ichigo admitted, reaching up to scratch the back of his neck, "I was thinking we would have to, you know, move in together…that I'd have to sleep with you, whether I wanted to or not. Things like that. I guess I don't have a problem with this. Well, as long as you keep your word about not forcing me to let our kid be your heir."

"Ichigo," Rukia said sternly, "my brother has already told you that he doesn't want to be married any more than you do. He has explained things to you and he's agreeing to let his child go without acknowledgement. Don't you maybe think that you should ask Byakuya if that is what he wants?"

"Rukia, that doesn't matter," Byakuya said calmly, "I have agreed not to acknowledge the child."

"But, I think it does matter," Rukia pressed, "Nii—sama, I know you don't want to be married. You are still mourning the loss of my sister. I understand. But, maybe you should explain to Ichigo what it means exactly if you do not acknowledge this child."

"I have already told him that the child forfeits all connection to the Kuchiki name and holdings."

"I meant what it means for _you_."

"It changes nothing for me," Byakuya answered, his voice carrying an edge of warning, "I have no intention of marrying again or of producing an heir, so that subject is closed. Let it go."

"No, I don't think we can let it go," Ichigo argued, "Byakuya, if there's still something you haven't told me, you need to tell me now. Are you gonna get into some kind of trouble if you don't acknowledge this baby? What is it that Rukia was saying? What does it mean if you don't acknowledge the baby?"

Byakuya stiffened and his eyes narrowed stubbornly.

"It means _nothing_ that should concern you. It will have no bearing on you or on the child, other than what I have said. What Rukia referred to is something that concerns me, not you…and as one not planning to remain my spouse, you do not have the right to question me about it. The matter is closed."

"Just like that?" Ichigo asked angrily, "So, we're back to you deciding things without me having a say?"

Byakuya bristled, but kept his voice carefully controlled.

"You have control over your future and I have control over mine," he said sternly, "I never agreed to sharing anything with you that does not directly affect you. You have your freedom when this child is born to do as you wish. That is all you requested and all that I agreed to."

"Well, what if I'm worried about what will happen to you."

"Nothing will happen to me," Byakuya said quietly, "I will be fine, and because of this, I will also be ready to mitigate what happens later."

"What happens later?"

"I told you, that is…"

"None of my business," Ichigo snapped, "Fine, I get it. I'll go along with this and I won't be angry at you or blame you. Even though I don't like the situation…"

Ichigo paused and his expression softened.

"I am thankful to still be alive."

"And all of us who were involved in the decision to protect your life are grateful for the fact you are here as well. Now, if you have no more to discuss with me, I will infuse you before I return to Soul Society to brief the elders and to complete the marriage contract."

Ichigo loosed a little sigh and relaxed against the pillows.

"Okay."

He remained quiet and calm as Byakuya sat down on the bed.

"With your permission."

"Go ahead."

Byakuya moved Ichigo's clothing enough to bare his abdomen and laid his hand there lightly. There was a slight pause, then Ichigo felt a little tingling on his skin in the area as the noble's reiatsu began to flow into his body.

 _Byakuya's hand is warm, but it feels like he's still a little tense. I wonder what it is he isn't telling me. He says that it doesn't affect me, but…if something bad happens to him because of all of this, I don't want that either. He said that nothing would happen to him, but I wonder if that's really true. I'll have to talk to Rukia and see what she will tell me._

 _Yeah, I'll talk to Rukia._

Ichigo let the tension leave his body, and he breathed slowly, welcoming the return of some feeling of peace.

 _I can't change the facts of my situation. I'm blind. I'm powerless. I'm pregnant. I'm Byakuya's spouse. The one thing I can do right now is take care of my kid and myself. I'll just do that and try not to think about the rest._

He dozed as the warm exchange continued and by the time Byakuya withdrew his hands, Ichigo was asleep. Byakuya stood and looked down at Rukia.

"We should talk. Come with me."

Rukia glanced at her sleeping friend.

"Of course, Nii-sama. I hope you aren't angry at me for saying what I did before…"

"No," Byakuya assured her, "I am not angry, however, given the situation, I want to make sure that you are…prepared for anything that may happen."

"Do you think that…?"

"Come. We will talk elsewhere."

Rukia gave Ichigo another worried glance.

"Should we really leave him alone?" she asked, "He's dealing with a lot."

The two paused, looking in the direction of the door as it opened and Uryu entered the room. Byakuya met the quincy youth's solemn blue eyes silently for a moment.

"I believe Ichigo has what he needs," the noble answered, "Come with me."

They left Uryu sitting with Ichigo and proceeded down the hallway and descended the long ladder into the underground training room. Byakuya sensed the area carefully, then turned to his sister, meeting her worried eyes solemnly.

"Nii-sama, why didn't you tell Ichigo about the consequences of this?" she asked anxiously, "And why did you tell him that nothing would happen to you? What if…?"

"I said nothing would happen to me as a result of this decision," Byakuya said firmly, "and that is true. The elders will not do anything to me because of this."

Rukia's expression darkened.

"Maybe not directly," she reasoned, "but because you twice defied the council, once to marry my sister and once to adopt me, doesn't having a child out of wedlock constitute a third offence?"

"It does," Byakuya admitted, gazing down at her, "You know what that means."

Rukia nodded.

"It means that if you do as you've said and you do not marry or produce heirs, you also give up your right to have a say about who is chosen to follow you. The council will choose the next heir. Byakuya, you _know_ who they are likely to choose. He's the only one powerful enough to be considered right now. He knows that. And that being said, what if this situation makes him think that the council would back him if he made an official challenge to your leadership now?"

Byakuya's expression darkened ominously.

"If Orochi dares to challenge me for leadership," he said quietly, "I will kill him."

XXXXXXXXXX

Ichigo woke to the feeling that the reiatsu in the room seemed different. He didn't feel Rukia's familiar presence or Byakuya's powerful one, but the presence of another friend. He sat up slowly and stretched.

"Uryu, is that you?"

"Yeah," the quincy affirmed, "I'm here."

"Just you?"

"Yes," Uryu answered, "I was hoping that I could talk to you alone for a little while."

"Well, no one else is here," Ichigo acknowledged, "What do you want?"

Uryu remained silent for a moment, thinking back to his interaction with his father.

 _I'm not supposed to do anything to directly help Ichigo learn the truth about his mother or what that makes him, but…he does need to be able to defend himself. I can help him do that._

 _I will._

"Ichigo, I've been thinking a lot about all of this, and I think maybe I can help you to…to take care of yourself, you know, if there is trouble."

Ichigo smiled.

"What kind of trouble?" he asked, "I'm actually getting along better with Byakuya. I don't think that he…"

"I'm not talking about that kind of trouble," the quincy interrupted, "I mean the fact that Byakuya's elders are probably not going to like what's going on."

"That doesn't matter," Ichigo said, his smile fading, "Byakuya's not going to let them do anything to me. I trust him."

"You do?" Uryu scoffed, "Then, you are really stupid."

"Hey!" the ginger-haired substitute objected.

"He's a noble and the nobles don't like outliers," Uryu reasoned, "Look at how they treated Tetsuya. I know you've heard. His family was kidnapped and he grew up in a secret prison, being abused."

"But Byakuya raided the prison and rescued Tetsuya and other mixed bloods. Things are different now."

"Maybe," Uryu said icily, "but do you really think that everyone on that council agrees with that development?"

"Of course not, but Byakuya's strong."

"Hatred is sometimes stronger," Uryu said darkly, "You need to be ready for anything, Ichigo."

Ichigo tilted his head to the side, wearing a skeptical expression.

"And you think you know how I can do that?" he asked sarcastically, "I'm blind, powerless and pregnant, Uryu. I can't do anything to protect myself. I have to depend on Byakuya and the others to protect me. I know that."

"No," Uryu argued, "I mean, they will try to protect you, but you need to be ready in case that protection ever fails."

"And you think you have a way that will let me do that? Uryu, Kisuke can't even think of a way to restore my powers. What the hell makes you think _you_ can?"

Uryu scowled.

"I never said that I could restore you powers. I can't."

"Then, what are we talking about?" asked Ichigo, "If you know a way I can protect myself, then tell me what it is."

Uryu paused and took a steadying breath.

"You can't tell _anyone_ that I taught you this," he explained, "It's a very basic technique, but it can save your life in a bad situation. Just promise me that you won't tell anyone I showed it to you. Don't talk about it to _anyone_."

"Okay," Ichigo sniffed, "I won't tell anyone."

"You swear?"

"Yeah, fine, I swear," Ichigo promised, giving his friend a perplexed look, "Why all of the secrecy?"

"I can't explain that."

"Why am I not surprised," Ichigo sighed, crossing his arms, "All right, no one will hear about it form me and I don't expect you to explain, except to tell me how it works."

"Okay," Uryu said solemnly, "I want you to relax."

"I'm not likely to be relaxed if I'm attacked," Ichigo interjected.

"Urgh! Just do it."

"Okay, fine," Ichigo chuckled, "I'm relaxed. Now what?"

"Close your eyes."

"Um, okay, but you know I can't see anyway, right?"

"Just do it!" the quincy youth snapped.

"All right, all right," Ichigo laughed, closing his eyes, "What now?"

"I know you can't use the reiatsu inside you to fight. But, even though you can't expel it from your body, you should be able to manipulate it inside you."

"Okay, and what will that do?" Ichigo asked in a more serious tone, "How will it protect me?"

"Give this a try and you'll see," Uryu directed him, "I want you to thicken the reiatsu under your skin…imagine that you are hardening it inside you. Make it as hard as you can and hold it that way."

Uryu formed a glowing arrow and took his friend's hand.

"Are you doing what I said?" he asked.

"Yeah."

Uryu poked Ichigo's hand with the tip of the arrow, and the ginger-haired youth winced.

"OW! What the hell?" Ichigo objected.

"Concentrate!" Uryu scolded him, "Again."

Ichigo paused, frowning and then bowing his head and breathing slowly.

"How would I do this under conditions of an emergency?" he asked.

"Once you learn it, you'll practice until you do it reflexively when you feel threatened."

"Okay."

"I'm going to poke your hand again. Try to imagine a blood shield inside you…a hard, protective one that will keep the arrow from breaking the skin."

"You can do that?" Ichigo asked curiously, "because, as I recall, you got pretty cut up when we were storming Soul Society to get Rukia back."

"There are things…situations in which it won't work perfectly or you could make a mistake that leaves you vulnerable, but if you are attacked, this could save your life."

"All right. I'm ready."

"Are you?"

"Yeah. I'm concentrating."

Uryu jabbed Ichigo's palm and made a sound of approval that Ichigo flinched, but made no sound of pain.

"I felt that," Ichigo explained, "but it didn't hurt."

"Good," Uryu said, raising the arrow and slamming it down hard this time.

"HEY!" Ichigo shouted, pulling his hand away, "What the fuck? That _hurt_ , you asshole!"

"Sure, it did," Uryu responded, sitting back and looking at Ichigo's hand in wonder, "but there's no injury to your hand."

"What?" Ichigo mused, touching his hand experimentally, "Damn, you're right. What is that? What did you just teach me to do?"

 _I can't answer you without opening the door to truths that can't come out yet…but…it does have a name_ , Uryu thought, gazing at Ichigo's confused expression.

 _It is a quincy technique we call…blut vene._


	14. Little Steps Forward

**Chapter 14: Little Steps Forward**

"Thank you, Uryu," Ichigo said gratefully, "I appreciate you showing me that technique. It does feel better, knowing that I'm not completely helpless."

Uryu started to answer, then paused as the door opened and Renji entered alongside Rukia. The two smiled and moved to join Uryu at Ichigo's bedside.

"Remember what I said," Uryu whispered quickly, "No one can know…"

"I got it," Ichigo whispered back, "Hey Rukia, Renji."

"Hey, Ichigo," Renji greeted his friend, "Uryu."

"Rukia," Ichigo inquired, "how did things go with you and Byakuya?"

"With my brother?" Rukia said, tilting her head, "Oh, it went fine."

"He wasn't mad at you for saying something he didn't want you to, was he?" Ichigo asked, "He seemed like…"

"No, everything is fine," Rukia assured him, "Nii-sama just wanted to talk about some family issues, you know, since he's going back to speak to the elders."

"I'm sure they're going to be happy as hell when they hear about all of this," Ichigo sighed, "Rukia, are you sure they're not gonna take this out on Byakuya or me? Byakuya said it would be fine, but I'm not so sure."

"You don't have to worry about anything, Ichigo," Rukia said with certainty, "Byakuya isn't going to let anything happen to you or the baby, or to himself. You need to stop worrying about that and concentrate on getting well."

"He needs to do more than get well," Uryu said firmly, "Ichigo needs to learn how to better protect himself. The truth is, even if Byakuya thinks it will be all right, we know that something could happen. We need to do what we can to anticipate that and be ready."

"Well, we're here to protect him," Renji said, reaching up to scratch the back of his neck, "besides, what can he do if he can't see and can't fight?"

Uryu gave Renji a harder look and Renji frowned.

"What?" he asked, "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"I'm just wondering," the quincy youth said, touching his glasses with the tip of a finger to raise them slightly, "if you are really committed to Ichigo being as strong as he can be."

"What?" Renji snapped, looking offended, "What the hell? Do you really think that we _don't_ want Ichigo to get stronger? What the hell is that? What do you mean by that?"

"What I mean," Uryu persisted, "is that I noticed something…something that you and Byakuya do. I don't know if maybe you learned it from him, but what I do know is that there is something that happens when you and Byakuya flash step, that may help Ichigo if he can learn it too."

Renji gave him a perplexed look.

"Something we do when we flash step?" he repeated, furrowing his tattooed brow, "Whaddya mean? What do we do? I mean, we set a target, and we move. It's similar to your hirenkyaku, you know."

"Yes," Uryu agreed, "and hirenkyaku, like your flash step, depends on being able to create a safe pathway for a body to traverse distance at high speeds. In essence, we look for the safe path and our minds chart it."

"But, Ichigo is blind," Renji reminded him, "How can he do the mental charting if he can't see?"

"Hmm," Uryu said, rubbing his chin, "I was thinking back and recalling that when you and Byakuya flash step at battle speed, there isn't time for that pause to map the pathway visually."

"Huh," Renji mused, "I didn't even think about it really. I just thought we were doing the mapping, but without any thought…just with practiced instinct."

"You use your other senses to make it faster," Uryu corrected him, "Instead of looking with your eyes, you _sense_ the path with the full collection of your means to do so. And how do you figure, your senses know the safest path?"

"How do they know?" Renji mused, scratching his head, "I dunno. It kinda just works. I just saw Byakuya do it, and I was determined to learn it. I didn't think that much about how everything worked, but…"

"But, if I'm right, then remember that Ichigo in bankai had a faster flash step than either of you."

"Oh!" Rukia exclaimed, "So, if he can do that in bankai, then he might be able to consciously do it to sense things around him? Is that what you're saying?"

"Exactly!" Uryu affirmed.

"What? How do I do that?" Ichigo asked urgently, sitting up straighter in the bed, "What do I have to do?"

"W-well," Renji said hesitantly, "everything is made up of spirit particles, right?"

"Yeah, I know that," Ichigo said impatiently, "So…?"

"So," said Uryu, "you and Renji and Byakuya all have powerful reiatsu. Byakuya can control his well, but with you and Renji, it's kind of like a faucet that runs without a lot of control…"

"Hey!" Ichigo and Renji objected.

"But…with your reiatsu so low and not flowing like it usually does, you may have an easier time sensing."

"What? You think I can sense the things near me?" Ichigo asked, his tone more curious and a shade less skeptical, "Really?"

"It's possible," Uryu assured him, "You'll have to focus to do it, and you'll have to be careful, because of the baby, but…maybe if we work at this, we can teach you to _see_ objects by sensing their spirit particles."

"Damn! I think he's right!" Renji said excitedly, "I mean, thinking about it now, I've actually heard of some healers who have taught blind patients to do something like that."

"It'd be good to be able to get up and around and not trip over and crash into things," Ichigo said wistfully, "You really think it'll work?"

"Well, we won't know until we try," Renji said sternly, standing, "Let's do it. Let's teach you to sense things from their spirit particles!"

He took Ichigo's hand and helped him out of bed.

"Are you ready?" he asked.

"I'm ready," Ichigo said, squeezing his friend's hand, "Let's do this!"

XXXXXXXXXX

"Tell me if you start to feel uncomfortable," Kisuke said as he leaned over the table where Tetsuya laid in the shopkeeper's laboratory, "This shouldn't hurt. You shouldn't feel more than a little pinch as the needle goes in. I'm just going to draw out a little of the blood from within your heart. It's a reiatsu needle, so it will seal the hole it makes, as it is pulled back out. I'm just taking a small sample, so I can see what's radiating in there that has that snake so interested in you."

"All right," Tetsuya agreed calmly, "It's fine. I'm not afraid."

Kisuke gave him a gentle smile and touched his hand lightly.

"You know, it's okay if you are nervous," he said kindly, "I know that things were hard for you in that prison you were in. I heard about the experiments they did on the inmates. I used to be in the research division and some of that came through after the raid."

Tetsuya considered for a moment, then he nodded.

"The scientists that came to the prison were glad to have subjects whose lives were considered expendable," he said softly, his blue eyes misting slightly with memory, "There were no regulations about proper sedation or humane euthanization, so they could hurt us and leave us in agony. They could test things that no one in civilized society would tolerate, and they actually thought they were doing something good by treating us with that disregard. We were nothing to them…just bodies to be used one way or used another. It was like our horror and our pain were meaningless…until we thought of ourselves as meaningless too. Some of the inmates killed themselves to escape. Some distanced themselves mentally until they couldn't come back. Itamigiri didn't stop claiming victims, even after the raid. It continues today, even though we have changed over the years. Some of those who were in cells because of their blood, are now locked up in hospital facilities and will never be free. I am so glad to have escaped that," Tetsuya sighed, "Orochi tried to convince Byakuya-sama that I was too damaged to be freed, that I should be committed to a mental facility, but Byakuya-sama was determined that the son of his father's closest cousin would not succumb to the hatred of that place as his parents did."

Tetsuya's lips curved upward slightly.

"I suppose he gave me no choice but to recover and grow strong."

"You did that," Kisuke said appreciatively.

Tetsuya gave him a worried look.

"Kisuke, do you think that my powers and Ichigo's are going to return?" he asked anxiously.

"Well, I don't have an answer for that yet," Kisuke said as he inserted the reiatsu needle and began to draw a small sample out of Tetsuya's fluttering heart, "But, you know, all of this business with that snake spirit and the power you described to me has got me thinking."

Tetsuya's face brightened hopefully.

"Do you think that the power in me could be helpful in restoring Ichigo and me?" he asked.

"Heh, I'm truthfully, a long way from answering that," the shopkeeper said, watching as the blood and reiatsu filled the special test tube he held, "But I'll run some tests on this and see what I can find out. I have to be careful, because, as you saw, when I just held the stuff on my finger, the transcendent reiatsu dissipated really swiftly. This test tube and the environment I will use for my experiments will hold the stuff and not let it do that. I'll expose some of your cells and Ichigo's to it and see if anything happens."

Tetsuya's little smile faded.

"Well, if it's already in my body, but it hasn't affected my powers, do you honestly think it can do anything?"

"I'm not sure," Kisuke admitted, "But, the only way we're gonna know is if I run these tests."

The shopkeeper paused and gazed down at the test tube with a determined frown.

"I just wish I could get more information about all of this. I mean, I'm still banished from Soul Society, so even though I know Byakuya would probably let me enter his family archive, I can't really go there…and in your current state…"

He broke off, tilting his head slightly.

"What?" Tetsuya asked.

"I just had a thought," Kisuke said, biting at his lip for a moment, "You know, just like we have gigais for shinigamis here, we also have reigai."

"Reigai…" Tetsuya repeated softly.

"I have some, of course. We use them sometimes when noble leaders need to look like they're one place, while they're really another…things like that. We don't use them too frequently, because a lot of people don't like the idea of fakes…but…y'know, with a little jiggering, I could try to mock up a reigai that would allow you to withstand the forces of Soul Society so that you could go back!"

"I can get into the archive!" Tetsuya reasoned, "Byakuya-sama placed a mark of trust on me, so I can enter the archive at will. If this reigai works, I can return to Soul Society and open the doorway by activating the mark!"

Tetsuya stopped and shook his head.

"But…would the archive sense the reigai and lock it out?" he wondered aloud.

"I'm not a hundred percent sure, but I don't see why it would, since the reigai is going to just be supporting your reiatsu, not replacing you. I really think I can do this. We can do this. I'll get to work on the reigai and I'll write down some things you can look for."

"I'm not sure there will be anything terribly helpful in the archive," Tetsuya said, frowning, "I did look for information before, but I couldn't ask Byakuya-sama for advice, so I don't know if I was just looking in the wrong place. Maybe you would know better where I might find something."

"I'll give you a list of references," Kisuke assured him, "And while you're gone, there's one other place I can look."

"Where is that?"

"Heh, I uh…know someone who might have studied transcendent reiatsu, at one time or another. He's kind of anti-social, so I'll want to see to that on my own."

Tetsuya frowned.

"He's not dangerous, is he? Should you wait until I'm back and have me go with you? Although, in my current state, I couldn't be much help."

"Don't you worry," Kisuke said, smiling disarmingly, "I've got it. I'm sure Yoruichi will be happy to come along. Between the two of us, we should be able to get what we need."

Tetsuya studied his husband more closely for a moment.

"Well, if you're sure," he said unhappily, "Just be careful. I am not the only one who our child needs."

Kisuke let out a little, amused breath and patted Tetsuya's face bracingly.

"I know that. I'll be careful, I promise. This is going to work, Tetsuya. We're going to get the answers that all of us need."

XXXXXXXXXX

Orochi Kuchiki sat quietly at his father's side as the head elder of the Kuchiki family council adjourned their meeting. Isas waited as the other filed out, then motioned for his son to join him. The two walked out into the council hall gardens and walked along the path until they were sure they were alone.

"What did you make of Byakuya's announcement?" Orochi asked in a serious tone, "It seems that an heir is on the way."

"That is how it seems," Isas agreed, "It surprised me. He's been so stubbornly opposing all of the council's efforts to match him with a suitable female."

"I suppose they were looking in the wrong place," Orochi huffed mockingly, "despite having defied the council to take a Rukongai wife, this time he chooses a man, and a human at that."

"That boy is more than any regular human," Isas said scathingly, "Do not underestimate him, Orochi. Even Kurohebi is wary of him."

"But, he is not wary of Byakuya," Orochi reasoned.

"No," Isas agreed, rubbing his chin thoughtfully, "And that means that we may have a short window of opportunity left to us. If indeed, there is an heir on the way, it's best for us to push for a confrontation now."

"Now?" Orochi said, frowning, "but you have resisted that idea for awhile, even knowing that Byakuya is no match for Kurohebi."

" _You_ had best remember that you are also no match for that snake spirit!" Isas snapped angrily, "We have to be cautious. Your control over Kurohebi is tenuous, and you know that. A battle with Byakuya could weaken you enough that you would lose control."

"I won't lose control of him!" Orochi answered, heatedly, "I've told you. I've gotten stronger!"

"Orochi, you need to make sure that the line is protected before you make a challenge. Whatever happens, we need to keep Kurohebi in our subfamily! What do you think that Byakuya would do if he knew what the snake spirit really is?"

"You and I don't even know what exactly Kurohebi is," Orochi argued, "And I told you, I am not interested in taking a wife."

"What about that mixed blood boy you were so interested in before?" Isas asked.

"Tetsuya?" Orochi mused, "You would never accept a mixed blood clan wife for me or a mixed blood heir."

Isas's eyes narrowed.

"Tetsuya is not what he thinks he is," he answered cryptically, "If Kurohebi has protected him, then he is definitely useful."

Orochi scowled and let out a disgusted breath.

"Tetsuya is not an option…at least, not right now."

"What?" Isas mused, "Why not? You are still meeting for feedings. You told me."

"Tetsuya is married now to that ridiculous shopkeeper," Orochi growled furiously, "and he is having that man's child."

"Ahh," Isas said thoughtfully, "So, he is involved in this business with Byakuya."

"Yes," Orochi affirmed.

He paused, thinking for a moment about the secret that he and Tetsuya had hidden far away, in the Rukongai.

"However…if it's an heir you want for me, I should tell you that…one already exists."


	15. The Past We Can't Escape

**Chapter 15: The Past We Can't Escape**

Tetsuya took a steadying breath and studied his reflection in the bedroom mirror. Kisuke stood behind him, admiring the new reigai form and he smiled at his husband.

"Well, what do you think?" Kisuke asked, "How does it feel?"

Tetsuya returned his smile with a fainter one.

"Ah, it feels a little strange, but I am not uncomfortable."

"Yeah," the shopkeeper agreed, "It's kinda like having a twin, but instead of the twin soul being in a separate body, it's joined with yours. Now, you need to know that I have altered this reigai a bit to, not just give you the ability to handle the heavier reiatsu of Soul Society, it is also going to shield your reiatsu, so that you will be harder to sense."

Tetsuya titled his head slightly, giving his husband a questioning look.

"You are worried that someone might try to prevent me from reaching Kuchiki Manor? Someone may know I will looking for information?" he asked.

"Hmm, actually, I just have a bad feeling about this demonic snake spirit and the fact that you told me that you and Orochi have a child that is currently being held over your head to force you to continue to allow these feedings."

Tetsuya swallowed hard.

"Y-you think that if the snake spirit hears of me visiting the archive, it might conclude that I am seeking a way to kill it? It might hurt our son?" he asked worriedly.

"Now, I don't want you to worry too much about it," Kisuke said, lowering his voice and laying a hand on Tetsuya's arm, "I just have a mind that thinks of all contingencies. It's how I work. In any case, it's best to keep the status quo, if you know what I mean. Is your son in danger? Maybe, but, he's not in any more danger than he has been all along. We don't want to panic and do something to tip our hand, right?"

"No," Tetsuya answered uneasily, "but are you sure that the status quo isn't already changing? After all, Orochi has been hanging around Karakura Town, we expect for the feedings, but there is also what is happening with Byakuya-sama and Ichigo-san. If Orochi has sensed something is amiss there, then he and his father could be plotting somehow. They are just waiting for any good opportunity to challenge Byakuya's leadership. If they know about the situation with Ichigo, as soon as they know, they will be plotting. I don't know how exactly our son could play into that, but he could end up being involved…"

Kisuke sighed and nodded.

"The kid's got a demon-spirit possessed father and a bearer who may contain transcendent power in his body. Tetsuya, those powers in the two of you may have affected your son. Has he shown any signs of unusual powers? Anything out of the ordinary?"

"No," Tetsuya answered, shaking his head firmly, "In fact, while he has the obvious capacity to channel large amounts of reiatsu, his sword has not yet manifested, nor has he developed a base power as talented shinigamis usually do. Orochi and I do not know what that means, but we think that his ability may be purposely held back by the snake spirit, though we don't know why it would be, because normally when Kurohebi claims a host, he essentially kills the host's natural power, except for a small shard, so that he can force the soul to comply for some hundreds of years before it abandons the host to join with the next young heir."

Tetsuya didn't miss the shopkeeper's sudden flash of concern at his explanation.

"What is it?" he asked quickly, "Kisuke, you think there is danger to our son, don't you? You think that Kurohebi is saving our son to be his next shinigami vessel?"

"Maybe," Kisuke answered darkly, "But the fact that the snake spirit is deviating in that particular way makes me nervous."

"What should I do?"

Kisuke put a hand over his mouth and exhaled slowly, considering.

"Well," he said, letting the hand fall away, "I assume that Orochi and that snake have some way of knowing if you try to go to the kid, right?"

"Yes," Tetsuya affirmed, "I have a mark on my reiatsu that the snake can sense. I can confuse it slightly by shifting between waterforms very quickly, assuming I have multiple forms set. But that hardly helps now because without…"

Tetsuya stopped suddenly, blinking as he remembered.

"What? What is it?" asked the shopkeeper.

"A waterform," Tetsuya answered, brightening, "Although I can't set new ones, I can use existing ones."

A little smile rose on Kisuke's lips.

"And I'll just bet you keep a few carefully placed ones, don't you?" he inquired.

"Yes," Tetsuya affirmed, "I keep one near our son. Orochi doesn't know, but the snake will sense me as soon as I use it, but I also keep one in the archive at Kuchiki Manor. Assuming I use the one in the Rukongai and quickly reach my son, I can then protect him within the archive. Demon spirit or no, once he is in the archive, our son cannot be touched."

"Hmm," Kisuke said, considering carefully, "that could be useful, but I think I want to think on it. For now, go to the archive and look for the references I gave you. I will keep thinking about this and we can talk about it and come up with a plan when we've got the information we need, okay?"

Tetsuya's face took on a troubled look, but he forced a little nod.

"Okay."

He bit his lip gently, his expression growing more worried.

"Are you sure that you can't wait for me to return before going on your own mission?" he asked the shopkeeper.

Kisuke's little smile warmed and widened.

"You're that worried about me?" he chuckled softly, reaching out to cup the younger man's cheek with one palm and making Tetsuya blush in reaction, "I'm really touched."

Tetsuya froze, looking up into the older man's pale grey eyes as Kisuke's face came closer and he felt warm lips touch his earlobe for a moment.

"I worry about you too," the shopkeeper confessed, letting a hand fall to caress Tetsuya's abdomen tenderly, "Whatever you do, while you're in Soul Society…be careful."

"I will," Tetsuya promised.

"Good," Kisuke said, pulling him closer and freezing him in place with an unexpectedly passionate kiss, "I'll see you when we both get back."

For a moment, Tetsuya felt an odd shiver of worry for the enigmatic shopkeeper, but before he could say anything, Kisuke released him.

"Go on, now," the shopkeeper urged him, "We've got work to do."

Tetsuya left him and hurried to the underground training room, where he opened a senkaimon and stepped into the precipice world. He paused, listening to the heavy drips of reiatsu that fell from the walls and ceilings of the corridor, his mind replaying his husband's words.

 _Whatever you do, while you're in Soul Society…be careful._

The words seemed simple enough, but he couldn't help feeling that there was something beneath them…

"Whatever you do," he whispered, blinking slowly.

A moment later, his breath caught and his heart began to pound.

 _He knew._

 _He knew that I would want to go to my son…and…he didn't stop me._

He glanced back at the closed doorway, his resolve tightening as he focused on the waterform he kept near his son's Rukongai home.

 _Once I shift to that waterform, I will have to move very quickly. I don't want to think about what Kurohebi will do when he senses me there._

Forcing the thought out of his mind, he focused on the set waterform and made the shift.

Behind him, in the candy shop, Kisuke stood quietly in their bedroom, breathing in the faint traces of Tetsuya's lingering scent and sensing the altered path the younger man took.

"Kinda thought you'd do that, love," he whispered, "but that wasn't something I could stop. You be careful, and I'll be careful too."

He followed the path that Tetsuya had taken, but instead of a senkaimon, he opened a garganta.

 _It's a little known and considered fact that, although the powers that be could stop me from using the senkaimon, they can't stop me from using the garganta. I have just chosen not to use it because there is more to learn about it first. But, dangerous times call for dangerous decisions, don't they?_

He entered the dark cavern and moved forward, laying down a smooth pathway as he went and setting his direction towards Las Noches.

 _Chances are good I'll get in and have a little time to search before Sosuke senses anything. I've been considering using this as a way to reach him if I can come up with a plan that won't end with everyone getting killed, but this…just slipping in and looking through the archive there. He won't be expecting me to do something like that._

 _I hope._

He was pleasantly surprised that he reached the hollow stronghold and had no problem eluding the guards' attention as he headed for the archive that Aizen had purloined from the ancient hollow king's palace ruins years before.

 _Our information only covers what the noble families recorded, and demonic spirits were more like myths to them. Tetsuya might find something helpful, but I'm more likely to find something here. There's all kinds of forbidden fruit in this darker archive. Just have to look quickly before…_

"Well," Aizen's voice chuckled, emanating from several directions at once, "I have to say, I am very surprised to see you. What brings you to my library, my love?"

XXXXXXXXXX

Uryuu sat quietly on the sofa in the guest room he was sharing with Renji, his mind working at the puzzle of things that had happened recently.

 _There's so much going on here that worries me. Ichigo's injury, Byakuya's involvement and now this transcendent energy that I sensed in Kuchiki Orochi and Kuchiki Tetsuya. Something dangerous is going on._

He heard again in his head, his father's admonition to _kill the shinigami_ that the snake spirit was feeding on, but he was sure that Ryuuken didn't actually mean for him to do it.

 _He was just being an asshole and trying to make a point. He knew damned well I wouldn't kill Tetsuya. I don't even know if I could kill Tetsuya if I wanted to. I have a feeling that snake spirit wouldn't just let something like that happen._

 _But…_

"Why are you sitting there, looking so glum?" Renji asked suddenly.

 _Damn, I didn't even hear him come in? And Renji's not the subtlest person. I'm sure he wasn't trying to be quiet._

"Sorry," he apologized, "I was just…thinking."

"Yeah," the redhead agreed, dropping onto the couch, "me too."

"Hmm."

"I was thinking about what you said before," Renji went on, "You know, when you asked if I was really committed to helping Ichigo."

"Oh, I don't know why I said that," Uryuu sighed, "I wasn't really suggesting that you…"

"You were right to be pissed at me for missing the obvious," Renji interrupted.

"Huh?" Uryuu mused, blinking.

"I do that a lot. I don't always pay attention to how things work, I just make myself learn them, so that I can get stronger and faster. It's a drawback, though, if I don't even know why something works."

"It's not a big deal," Uryuu said, shaking his head, "I was just…"

"Doesn't matter," Renji said shortly, "You were right, so don't try to take it back."

"I could've been more…I don't know…tactful?"

Renji chuckled and reached a big hand up to knock on the top of his head.

"Tact doesn't really get through as well as just bluntly saying things."

 _You can say that again._

Uryuu smirked, but stopped short of voicing his thoughts. For a moment as Renji leaned closer, smiling and about to continue, he felt the warm touch of the redhead's lips on his.

 _What?_

"Uryuu?"

There was an odd sound to the shinigami's voice now, an uncertainty, and it occurred to him that he was leaning in Renji's direction. Their eyes locked and before either could figure out how they had ended up that way, both leaned forward, Uryuu's pale, cool lips meeting Renji's very warm, flushed ones.

 _Hmm, is this the real reason that my father didn't want me helping the shinigamis?_

XXXXXXXXXX

Ichigo sat quietly in the bed in his guest room, for the first time since his injury, feeling encouraged.

 _Uryuu was right_ , he thought to himself, _with practice, I was able to sense things around me. It isn't perfect, and it isn't the same as seeing, but if the shit hits the fan, for some reason, I can at least protect myself a little._

 _I'm glad._

He focused carefully and sensed the things in the room…the little end tables on either side of the bed, the sofa and coffee table across the room, the doors that led to the hallway and the bathroom. He smiled as he left the bed and made his way to the bathroom. He undressed and started the shower, then stepped in under the water, enjoying the steamy air and hot splash of the water.

 _I didn't like the idea of being useless. Not that I think it's bad to need help sometimes, but I was worried that I wouldn't recover at all. I don't know what's going to happen, but…_

He paused, breathing in and out slowly, and picturing Byakuya in his mind. As always, he imagined the noble's handsome face brooding and his eyes carrying a hint of the mixed emotions that he didn't allow himself to show.

 _I am married to Kuchiki Byakuya_ , he thought, recalling the gentle touch of his husband's hands during their bonding, _I've been freaked out about that, but…somehow, when Uryuu gave me that way to protect myself and when everyone helped me practice sensing things and people…I started to feel different. I thought before that being married to Byakuya would be a nightmare, but Byakuya has done nothing but try to do what's best for everyone, not just himself. Really? I'm the one whose been kinda selfish. I've been throwing in his face that I don't want him to have anything to do with our kid. I did it because I was angry at him for getting me pregnant, but the truth is he's right that they couldn't ask me, and if they had, I wouldn't have wanted to die._

 _Maybe…this doesn't have to be such a bad thing. Byakuya can be a jerk sometimes, but most of the time, it's not just him being a jerk. There's something beneath what he does, and we don't disagree as much as I thought we did. I know I irritate him sometimes too, but…I've had a feeling since I saved Rukia, that Byakuya really is happy he didn't have to carry through on his threat to kill her himself. He was relieved and thankful when I saved her. When I slow down and look at everything, Byakuya might not even have been doing things like sending me home quickly because he doesn't like me…_

 _What if…?_

 _Byakuya thinks a lot that he can't say or act on, because he is a clan leader. Sometimes, he purposely says things that rile me. I always wrote it off as him being a jerk, but…what if he wasn't just trying to get me angry? What if…Byakuya tries to get a rise out of me sometimes…because…we both want the same thing, but I'm free to act on that and he's not?_

 _That…changes a lot._

He returned to his bed, his mind still working intently. A few minutes later, the door to his room opened and he felt his husband's reiatsu, although Byakuya did not speak to him. A little smile touched his lips as the noble's footsteps approached him.

"You're back," he commented.

Byakuya didn't answer for a moment and Ichigo could feel, not just the touch of those quiet grey eyes, he could feel his husband's curiosity.

"Kurosaki Ichigo, you look…different."

 _He stopped halfway to the bed._

 _Why?_

"Do I?" Ichigo asked, sliding his legs over the edge of the bed and standing slowly.

"You should…" Byakuya began.

"I know," Ichigo chuckled, surprising Byakuya again with the lightness of his mood, "I'll go back to bed. I just wanted to show you something."

He sensed Byakuya's position and walked slowly to meet him.

"You can…see?" the noble asked.

"Actually, no," Ichigo confessed, "but Renji and the others figured out that since my reiatsu isn't getting in the way…"

"You can sense your path…"

"Like I do when I'm in bankai," Ichigo finished, "I'm not helpless anymore. I can protect myself a little, and if I have to…I'll learn to fight this way."

He felt Byakuya staring, and the spin of emotion that the noble would never be able to show.

"Ichigo…"

"I know, right?" Ichigo said, smiling, "Look, Byakuya, I know I've been angry and I've thrown a lot of that at you. I am…sorry."

"You don't have to apologize."

"I know, but I am…and…if you want to talk about it, I want to see if maybe there's a way to keep your family out of our kid's life, but to let you be a part of it."

"Ichigo," Byakuya said again, more breathlessly.

"Whatever those old farts might think, I know you'll be a good father."

Byakuya went silent in front of him, and Ichigo felt a wall begin to crumble between them. He stepped forward and felt Byakuya's arms cautiously embrace him. They stood quietly holding each other for several long minutes before the clan leader managed to find his voice again.

"I am…grateful, Ichigo," he managed finally.

The substitute felt Byakuya's cool, slender hand capture his and guide it to the side of the noble's face. His breath caught at the little dampness under his fingers.

"Thank you."


	16. The Path of Our Footsteps

**Chapter 16: The Path of our Footsteps**

"Why, Kisuke," Aizen said, smirking, "did you really think that you could just sneak into Las Noches and kill me, yourself? That seems out of character for you…not an intelligent move at all. So, maybe I should assume that you are here for another reason?"

Kisuke felt a hard shiver go through his body as Aizen appeared in the row of books in front of him. He broke into a sweat, knowing full well that he was probably looking at an illusion.

 _But I have a few tricks up my sleeve too._

He gave Aizen an enigmatic smile and produced a white handkerchief from his pocket, waving it briefly in front of him.

"I didn't come here to kill anyone, and I'm not here to spy," he explained.

Aizen's head titled and he gave his former lover a curious look.

"This is…a _personal_ visit, then? You wanted to see me?"

"Don't flatter yourself," the shopkeeper said with an edge of sarcasm, "I think we've said all we need to say, when you hollowfied a bunch of our comrades and let me take the fall for it. You knew that they could've ordered my execution for that. I was lucky to just get banishment."

"I was sure that Yoruichi wouldn't allow you to be executed, you being such good friends and all," Aizen chuckled, "And you see? I was right about that."

"You think that's some kinda consolation, huh? You really are a bastard," Kisuke mused, "But you're not what I came here about."

Aizen's smile warmed chillingly.

"Then, why have you come here? I assume, since we are in the archive, that this is a research mission, but…not related to the coming war?"

"It's not related to that at all," Kisuke affirmed, "and if you'd agree to a short truce, and let me look around, I'd really appreciate it."

"Tell me why you're here first," Aizen insisted, the look of curiosity in his eyes growing, "What are you looking for?"

Kisuke bit his lip gently.

"Well, I'm not completely sure, but I may have sensed what could be a parasitic demon, living in the form of a shinigami zanpakuto."

"Oh, how interesting," Aizen replied, gazing at Kisuke raptly, "Who is the shinigami?"

"Sorry, can't tell you that," Kisuke said, shrugging, "Can't even be sure that's really what's in there, but maybe I could tell you more if you let me research it. You can put whatever security on this place and restrict what you need to. I just want to make sure that what I sensed, isn't what I suspect it could be."

"Hmm," the traitor said, rubbing his chin, "though, if it's you doing the suspecting, I'd say there is a high probability you are right."

"Now, why are you tryin' to flatter me, Sosuke?" Kisuke laughed softly, "You know it won't get you anywhere."

Aizen laughed and Kisuke felt another unpleasant shiver go through him.

 _This man really is the devil in a shinigami form._

"So, flattery won't move you?" Aizen purred, "Can I offer you something else then?"

"Oh, I don't like the sound of that," Kisuke said, his hand tightening on the cane he carried, "Look, I came here under a white flag."

"And I have completely respected that," Aizen pointed out, "But I do feel that if you want to go poking around in the ancient hollow king's archive, I want to know why."

"I told you, I may have…"

"You may have sensed a parasitic demon in a shinigami zanpakuto, yes."

Kisuke felt a little jolt of warning as Aizen moved closer to him.

"A demon," he went on, "even a parasitic one, would not be able to cross into Soul Society from the royal realm, without upsetting a number of critical balances. We both know that. So, if you suspect that there is spirit demon, then you must also suspect there is a special soul…a _light being_ , sent to balance it? I don't suppose you'll tell me who the light being is?"

"Heh, heh," the shopkeeper chuckled, pulling out his fan and flipping it open in front of his face, "give you an idea where to find transcendent power at a time when you're threatening to overthrow the…"

"Please do not apply the word, _king_ , to that useless mound of impotent flesh that sits on the throne," Aizen scoffed, "You and I both know the truth about the soul king. The light beings are his servants. They're sent by him to keep critical balances, but assuming there is a need to kill this parasitic demon you suspect you found, you only need to tell me where to find it, and I will destroy it. Then…there will be no need for a light being's power, will there?"

"Well," Kisuke snickered, "there's hardly a reason to go to all of that trouble, when I'm not even sure what I have, is there? After all, your days are numbered."

"Are they?" Aizen said sedately.

"Yours, mine, everyone else's. Sosuke, just give me a few hours in here. I won't touch anything not related to my mission."

Aizen's brown eyes narrowed and blinked slowly.

"And what will you give me in return?" he asked.

"I won't kill you before I leave? I won't use anything I learn to kill you later?" Kisuke offered.

"I have a better idea," the traitor said, curving a palm around the shopkeeper's cheek and moving in closer to breathe into Kisuke's suddenly blushing ear, "Spend the night with me. Sleep with me."

A sarcastic laugh erupted from the flustered shopkeeper, and he stepped back, shaking his head.

"No?" Aizen sighed, giving him an amused look, "Well, I had to try. How about I look around with you?"

"It's probably gonna be boring," Kisuke insisted, "a complete waste of an evil genius's time."

"You should let me be the judge of that," Aizen chuckled, stealing a lingering kiss that burned on the blonde shinigami's lips, "Come now, let's get started."

"Fine, but no more kissing," Kisuke warned him, "I'm a married man now."

"Are you?" Aizen mused, looking at him more closely.

"Yep," Kisuke affirmed, "Baby on the way. All that."

"That doesn't sound like you at all."

Kisuke shrugged, smirking.

"Kinda just happened suddenly. It was a surprise."

"Was it now?" Aizen said, turning suddenly and trapping him up against the tall bookshelf as he stole a longer, more penetrating kiss, "So, who am I going to make sure I kill for leading you astray?"

"That's not nice," Kisuke said, shaking his head, "You dumped me and left me holding the bag full of your crimes. Seems to me, the least you can do is just be happy for me."

Aizen paused and let out a soft breath, betraying just a hint of regret.

"I am happy for you."

"Now, why do I find that the scariest thing you've said yet?" Kisuke mused.

"Come," Aizen chuckled, stepping back, "let's find this information you need."

XXXXXXXXXX

Ichigo sat back against the pillows in his guest room bed in Kisuke's shop, quietly contemplating the unexpectedly warm interaction he had experienced with the man who had once been his enemy.

 _I don't know how it happened, but I see something different when I think of him now, just a different side to him that I didn't know existed._

His heart skipped and thumped in his chest as he recalled the little dampness under his fingertips he had felt when Byakuya had captured and guided his hand to the noble's face.

 _I've never known Byakuya to show such emotion like that…to cry. For him to, not just open up like that, but to open up to me…that's…_

His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of his bedroom door sliding open, and he felt the reiatsu of two people entering the room.

"Rukia, Orihime," he greeted them, "what's going on?"

"We just came to see you," Orihime said, taking a seat beside the bed, "and I thought that I'd just…I mean, I know my power hasn't been useful, but…"

"Hey, you're welcome to try," Ichigo assured her, smiling, "Worst case scenario, I get a reiatsu recharge, right? That's not a bad thing."

"Okay," the ginger-haired girl laughed, invoking her healing power.

"Ichigo," Rukia said in a more serious voice, "I noticed that Nii-sama seemed happier when I saw him. I guess your talk with him went well?"

"Yeah," Ichigo said, reaching up to scratch the back of his neck, "we did have a good talk. I think we're understanding each other a little better now. I wanna thank you for talking some sense into me before. I guess I was pretty hard on everyone, especially Byakuya. I may have been unconscious, I may not have been given a choice, but I'm making my own choices now, and my choice is to try to make things good with your brother."

"I'm glad," Rukia said, sitting down beside Orihime, "I was worried for both of you."

"I think we're okay now," Ichigo reassured her, "We seem to be on the same page about things."

"That's good," Rukia replied, nodding approvingly, "It's better for you and the baby."

"The baby's reiatsu feels strong," Orihime noted, "but I guess that's no surprise."

"I guess not," Ichigo said, flushing slightly as one hand slid down to touch the small, emerging bump on his abdomen.

 _I feel it now, that bit of life growing inside me. I didn't ask for it. I didn't mean for it to happen, but now that I feel it, I just…_

The door opened and Tessai entered the room, carrying a tray of food that Ichigo wolfed down as he chatted and laughed with his friends. But, time and again, his hand slipped down to touch his belly, and each time, he felt a little twinge of happiness at finding the constant presence of that other little soul.

 _I guess that even though things happen that we didn't think we wanted and can't make sense of…sometimes they are really good things. We just can't see the good until we stop being angry about the parts we don't like. I love my kid already, and I'm curious what he or she will be like. I hope the baby has Byakuya's pretty grey eyes._

 _Yeah._

 _Byakuya's eyes are beautiful, even though they can scare the hell outta me._

He felt a little, sad jolt inside and tears burned under the lids of his eyes.

 _I wonder if I'll ever see those eyes again…or if I'll ever be able to see our kid's face._

 _God…I hope I will._

XXXXXXXXXX

Uryuu's heart raced and pounded in his chest at a dizzying rate as Renji's arms wrapped around him, and the redhead's tongue pushed into his mouth, touching, tasting and tenderly caressing every inch of the quincy's warm, hungry orifice.

 _Just don't let him sense it_ , Uryuu thought feverishly as his fingers dug into the shinigami's thick biceps and their kissing intensified, _I don't need to be reminded that the shinigamis are a quincy's mortal enemy. I know all about the evil that took the lives of so many of our people, my grandfather included. But Renji isn't like that. He's a good person…an honest one. He fights for honorable reasons._

 _This doesn't feel wrong at all._

He realized suddenly that Renji had stopped kissing him, and that the redhead was looking down into his eyes with a cute, baffled expression.

"What the heck?" he mused, a little chuckle in his voice, "What was that about?"

"You're asking me?" Uryuu managed, sitting up and pulling free of the redhead's arms.

"Well, it was you who started the kissing," Renji snickered.

"Actually, it wasn't," Uryuu informed him.

"Come again?" Renji said, giving him a confused look.

"The day we…Ichigo and me, went to Hueco Mundo to find you and the others," he explained, "While you were out of it, you kind of just…grabbed me and started kissing me. I don't think you know what you were doing. Sorry."

"What are you apologizing for?" Renji asked, smirking, "I was the one who stepped over a line, even if I was unconscious. You've got nothing to be sorry about."

"Well, I did just suddenly kiss you without even…I don't know what I was thinking," Uryuu said in a flustered voice.

"It's okay," Renji assured him, "I didn't mind being kissed by you. It was…nice."

He noticed the look of disapproval forming on the quincy's face and backpedaled slightly.

"It was good. I haven't been kissed like that before."

"What? Really?" Uryuu asked disbelievingly, "I thought for sure that…I mean…"

"What?" Renji teased, "You assumed because I come from the low Rukongai that I don't have any manners and I'll…I don't know what. What are you thinking?"

"I don't know!" Uryuu snapped, blushing and jumping to his feet, "I don't know what I was thinking. Maybe I wasn't thinking at all. I just…ever since you kissed me, I've been feeling like…"

He stopped and shook his head, unable to find the right words. Renji read his expression and grabbed his hand, yanking him back down onto the sofa. Uryuu struggled for a moment as the redhead pushed him down, onto his back and settled between his parted thighs. Renji's arms wrapped around him again, and the redhead's mouth clamped warmly onto his. Uryuu was sure that he should have stopped it, but whatever his intentions, he found that he just kept returning Renji's passionate kisses. And when the redhead's hands slipped beneath his clothes, he couldn't hold back a piqued groan of contentment at the feel of those rough hands on his smooth flesh, of the big fingertips that teased his erect nipples. A flash of fever seemed to engulf his whole body and he barely registered the two of them sliding their pants down and off. A strange glow that flared all around them, stirred him only slightly as he was dragged onto Renji's lap and the fingers that had been pleasuring him, began a slow invasion.

 _What's happening?_

 _What is that glow around us?_

 _Why do I feel like I can't stop?_

He tried to make his voice sound, to raise some sort of objection, but before he could, Renji's fingers found the center of pleasure, deep inside his body that no one had ever sought, let alone touched before. An explosion of sensation dragged a low, primal growl from his depths, and he heard an equally feral sound issue from the handsome redhead. Renji's fingers retreated slowly, then Uryuu felt all of the breath leave his body as something far larger and hotter, took their place.

"R-ren…"

Renji's mouth crashed into his again, swallowing up his cry of surrender, and the redhead's hands gripped his hips, encouraging them to move. All thoughts of escape shattered, Uryuu rose and fell, writhing in an unscripted frenzy, with Renji's deep voice and rough hands encouraging him.

"Aw, f-fuck! Feels s'good! That's beautiful. You're so beautiful, glowin' li'that," the redhead panted, pushing his hips upward and grinding hard.

 _Glowing?_

Uryuu shivered at the connotation. He forced his eyes open and made a little sound of dismay at the soft, shimmering light between them. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he registered a sense of shock, but it was far too late for regret as Renji pushed in deep, striking the pleasure center inside him once, twice, then a third time before the two crashed over together into the heavy, jolting throbs of a powerful climax. Uryuu collapsed on Renji's lap, the redhead still buried in his body and holding him tightly.

Five minutes passed with them remaining just that way and Renji's warm hand caressing the quincy's slender, sweat-slicked back, then the reality of what had happened, began to sink in.

 _Those resonances that are the reason Kisuke and Tetsuya and Byakuya and Ichigo could conceive…are not just found in shinigamis. Quincies, too, are vulnerable to resonances._

 _But I've never heard of a quincy resonating with a shinigami._

"You okay?" Renji asked, "You look kinda pale. Paler than usual, I mean."

"F-fine," Uryuu lied.

 _What did we just do?_

 _I wonder if my father already knows._

 _If he doesn't, he will soon._

 _He's absolutely going to kill me…and I can't even be sorry._

XXXXXXXXXX

Tetsuya crept along the side of a darkened Rukongai home, carefully cloaked and hooded and concealed in the shadows. He moved to one of the bedroom windows and loosed a little flicker of his reiatsu, then he slid the bedroom window open and crawled inside. A small light glowed in the room, lighting the face of a young boy with Orochi's solemn, masculine beauty and Tetsuya's blue eyes.

"Tetsuya-san," the boy whispered, "What is it? Is something wrong?"

"We must go quickly, Itsuki," Tetsuya urged him.

Tetsuya made a small inscription on the bedside table.

 _To assure his guardians that he is safe, and with me._

"Did something happen to Orochi-sama?" the boy asked.

"He is all right," Tetsuya reassured their son, "but you know the power that I told you about?"

"The power that made the snakes?"

"Yes, the power that made the snakes you saw before. That power is a dangerous one, and Orochi-sama is not fully in control of it. Because it is a danger to you, I must…"

"Did I tell you that the snakes can talk to me, Tetsuya-san?" Itsuki asked suddenly.

Tetsuya froze.

"They told me that you were coming, and they said that I must not go with you."

"What?"

"You heard the boy," Orochi's voice said as he opened the door and stepped into the room, alongside his hatefully glaring father, "Without the ritual, Itsuki is showing signs of inheriting Kurohebi's power. Of course, it won't present fully until the ritual is completed.

Tears filled Tetsuya's stricken eyes.

"Is that why you're here? You are going to…?"

"It's the boy's legacy," Isas hissed softly, "I'm sure you knew that when he was born, Tetsuya. Now, say goodbye to him, turn around and leave. Do not come near the boy again, or Kurohebi will force us to kill you."

Tetsuya's heart pounded, but he swallowed hard and forced the feeling down. Slowly, he gave a little nod and curved an arm around the softly shaking boy.

"Don't be afraid, Itsuki," he said calmly, "Everything will be all right. Please trust me, this is best."

Itsuki's blue eyes widened.

"Y-you are leaving, Tetsuya-san? You won't come back to see me again?"

Tetsuya breathed in slowly, picturing the waterform he had placed in the Kuchiki archive, then he met Orochi's black eyes for a moment.

"This is goodbye," he said solemnly.

Orochi's eyes flickered with understanding and he made no move as Tetsuya and the boy disappeared, leaving only a splash of water behind. Isas's face turned instantly livid.

"What the devil? Where did they go? I thought you said he was powerless!" the elder man seethed.

"He was," Orochi insisted.

"Kurohebi can track them."

"Kurohebi won't need to," Orochi said quietly, "I think even you know where Tetsuya has gone."

Isas thought for a moment and bristled.

"The archive."

"It was his only move," Orochi sighed, "You know that. We can't enter the archive without the clan leader's permission."

"Yes," Isas growled, "and you know what this means. It's time. We are going back, and you are going to challenge Byakuya for leadership of the clan!"


	17. Fight Fire With Fire

**Chapter 17: Fight Fire with Fire**

Ichigo felt a little blush on his cheeks as the door to his room opened, and he felt Byakuya's presence and heard his light step as the Kuchiki leader crossed the room.

"I'm glad you're back safely," he said warmly, sliding a hand down to loosen his yukata for their bonding, "I hope those old farts didn't give you too much trouble."

Byakuya sighed wearily as he sat down on the bed beside his common law spouse.

"They gave me no more trouble than usual, although normal for one of our family meetings…"

Ichigo smiled.

"I get it."

Byakuya blinked in surprise as Ichigo's hand slipped into his and an almost forgotten feeling of connection stirred deep in his chest.

 _What is this? He is only making the best of things, isn't he? He is only letting go of the things that separate us for the sake of our child, right?_

 _But the emotion beneath his touch…Ichigo?_

"You seem tense," Ichigo noticed.

"Do I?"

"Yeah, so if you wanna talk to me about it, you know, I'll listen."

The stirring in Byakuya's chest pushed into his heart, which quickened as he laid his hands on his spouse's bared belly.

"Th-thank you," the noble said softly, "I am not sure if me talking about it would make any real difference. We are here, and you can't cross into Soul Society right now to beat the Kuchiki elders into submission."

"Nope," Ichigo agreed, shaking his head, "I can't do anything at all to solve your problems, but a wife is supposed to try to at least comfort and support her husband, right?"

"You are not a woman," Byakuya said sternly, "The archaic wording of our contract does not change that fact. You are a man, and I desire you the way you are."

The noble's breath caught as Ichigo's warm hand rose to curve around his face.

"You desire me? Really?" he asked.

Byakuya lowered his eyes, a conflicted look on his face as he struggled for the right words to say.

"Ichigo…"

"Stop," the shinigami substitute said calmly, keeping his hand on Byakuya's flaming cheek, "You're about to say something to push me away, but I'm not gonna hear it. I asked you if you desire me, and the way you're leaning your face into my hand answers me better than your lying lips ever will."

Byakuya started to pull away, only to be yanked down onto the bed and swiftly trapped beneath the younger man's body. As he stared up into Ichigo's angry, unseeing eyes, his mind screamed that he should disentangle himself, but before he could move, Ichigo dropped onto his chest.

"The thing is, your lips can't tell any lies if they're covered with mine!"

He closed the distance, crashing his hot, frowning lips into the reeling noble's forcefully.

 _This bold collision of our energies, this growing flame between us…even not fully understanding the bond we made, Ichigo is reaching through it and feeling the contents of my heart. Baka, don't you understand? Lies are useless to me now when I am with you. You feel the truth in me and there is no lying to you._

 _I am falling in love with you…or maybe I was always in love with you, since your sword cut through the heavy bonds that held me back from protecting my sister. I tried to tell you what that meant, but I didn't know how. Still, I think you've come to understand…and I cannot resist you at all anymore!_

Ichigo broke their kiss for a moment, his chest heaving and his blind eyes sparking.

"Byakuya," he said in a lower, almost growling voice that seemed to travel like electricity through the Kuchiki leader's trapped body, "I wanna…"

He paused, biting at his lips and flushing.

"It is more than clear what you want," the noble said, guiding Ichigo's hand to the tie at his waist, "As your husband, I am willing."

"Heh," Ichigo laughed, "I was right. You do desire me."

"Of course I do," Byakuya chided him, "Do you really think our resonance would have been strong enough to create a child if that was not true? I am drawn to you. I have been for a long time, although I was convinced before that I had to resist those urges."

"You don't need to resist them anymore," Ichigo assured him, "but ah…I haven't ever had sex. I mean, I know how it works, but I've never done it."

He didn't have to see to feel Byakuya's rare, fleeting smile.

"I am sure that the man who mastered bankai in three days can certainly find his way through something as primal as sexual intercourse," the noble chuckled, "Do as you will with me."

"Did you just make a joke? Byakuya…!"

"Don't make me repeat myself," Byakuya hissed, covering the substitute's mouth with his fingertips, "Make love to me, if that is what you want, Ichigo."

"You want it too?" Ichigo managed around his husband's fingers, "Are you saying I can…fuck! I think I'm dizzy."

"Shut up and make love to me, before I change my mind!" Byakuya snapped.

"S-sure," Ichigo stammered, a jolt going through his awakened loins as Byakuya hand found his and brought his fingers to the noble's lips, which kissed them with a tenderness that he wouldn't have expected. Then, Byakuya's mouth opened and sucked the rougher digits inside that hot, wet orifice, where they were bathed generously in his saliva. Ichigo slipped his fingers out of his husband's mouth and traced his way down over the noble's bared chest and soft belly. He followed their trail with small, biting kisses on that sweet, perfect flesh, breathing in his gentle, sweet scent. He grinned as he felt Byakuya's fingers sink into his hair and felt the pounding of the noble's racing heart beneath his flesh.

 _I'm not the only one. Byakuya feels it too. I don't know how or why this happened, but there's no denying I do feel the connection between us, and given a choice, I choose to be with him now!_

Byakuya felt the questing touch of Ichigo's fingers and he opened his clothing fully and spread his thighs. He felt Ichigo's hand pause and tremble slightly.

"Ichigo?"

"Are you sure this is okay with you?" he asked, "Have you ever had a male lover?"

"No."

"Heh, so it's kind of like the blind leading the blind," Ichigo joked.

"That is a _terrible_ thing to say," the elder man chided him.

"Well, it's true," Ichigo laughed.

"Ichigo," Byakuya said, his deep voice almost purring, "please try to focus. You have to prepare my body to receive your…"

"I _know_!" the younger man snapped, cutting him off abruptly, "Sorry, I was just…I mean, I know because they talked about gay relationships in sex education at the college."

"I was referring to your size, not your lack of experience," Byakuya replied calmly.

"Hey!" Ichigo complained, his face flushing a darker pink, "Can you stop saying things like that? I can't concentrate when you do that."

"My apologies," Byakuya answered, "I did not mean to fluster you. Please continue."

"First, I want you to tell me something," Ichigo countered, bringing his lips close to Byakuya's again, "Tell me what you desire about me."

He smiled at the hissing breath the noble drew in at the question and the small but pronounced shiver in the slender, vibrant body that laid beneath his. Byakuya's hands reached up to cup his face gently.

"I desire that which also infuriates me," he whispered, brushing his lips against Ichigo's, "That stubbornness that will not accept no for an answer and that strong will that defies everything, even, at times, death. All of this in a body so striking that I cannot look upon you without feeling riled."

"You make me furious sometimes too," the younger man admitted, lifting his hips to position himself between his husband's creamy thighs, "You say shit I _know_ you don't mean and you do things that you don't wanna do. You try to act cold, but I know before entering you right now, that you're not cold on the inside, Byakuya."

"Do you?"

"You can be," Ichigo managed, his heart skipping at the feeling of his hardness pushing slowly into Byakuya's dampened entrance.

 _He's so hot inside! I feel like I'm gonna melt._

He groaned delightedly as he felt the noble's smooth hands wrap around his bare bottom, encouraging his slow, short thrusts as he joined their bodies. He paused, buried in Byakuya's body and reeling at the seething heat, only regretting that he couldn't see the beautiful Kuchiki leader's face reacting as his husband's ministrations began to undo him.

"Your body feels more relaxed now," Ichigo noticed, "Are you okay? Can I move?"

He barely held onto his composure as Byakuya gave in with a shuddering sigh and began to move his hips, grinding hard into each of Ichigo's hard, powerful thrusts. And even more erotic was the mingled effect of burying his face in the soft, sweet smelling flesh of his husband's throat and shoulder, and listening to the sexy moans that escaped the usually stoic and quiet Kuchiki leader.

 _I wanna see him._

 _I want so bad to see his face!_

Even without his sight, the wonderful feel of that other raging body writhing against his, the slight pain of their hard, biting kisses and the warm, masculine scent that their lovemaking loosed, had him panting hard and nearing climax. He felt Byakuya's body quiver and heard the noble give a shuddering sigh of surrender. His name tumbled from Byakuya's lips, and a feeling like freefalling carried him over into hard, gripping throbs of release. He sank down on top of Byakuya, breathing hard and fast, his head spinning and his ears ringing loudly.

"God, you're amazing," he managed softly.

His heart fluttered in his chest as he felt the little rumble of Byakuya's soft laughter and he felt the light pressure of the noble's warm hand squeezing his.

"And you are even more so, Kurosaki Ichigo."

XXXXXXXXXX

Uryuu groaned softly as he emerged from a deep haze of sleep to find himself naked and still entangled with Abarai Renji.

 _Ugh, what was I thinking?_

 _We just started making out on the sofa, then one thing led to another and we were having sex. We did it there a couple of times, then we fell off, onto the floor and crawled to the bed like a couple of animals. What happened in the bed was no less beastly. I lost count of how many times we did it. Sometimes I started it, sometimes he did, and he didn't mind switching roles either. I think we might have even had sex while half asleep._

He barely held back a little sound of amusement as he recalled.

 _Renji complained we'd done it so many times that his last orgasm was a dry one. I think mine was also. I guess once we gave in, there was no holding back for either of us. Renji didn't look like he had any regrets._

Uryuu's slim fingers dug into the bedding.

 _Neither do I._

 _I don't care that Renji is a shinigami anymore. He is a good and loyal friend and I would give my life to protect his. I know Renji would die to protect me too. The feelings in us are mutual. I know my father is going to be furious. I just hope that he doesn't decide to take that out on Renji. Maybe…I should go and talk to him._

He started to wriggle, trying to escape the lanky redhead's tight embrace, but only succeeded in causing one cinnamon eye to open and fix on him.

"Where d'ya think you're going?" Renji grunted, "I don't think I'm done with you yet."

Uryuu scowled.

"Don't you think you need to ask me if we are done? As I recall, this was a two-sided…affair."

"Hmm," Renji huffed through his nose, releasing the slighter man and sitting up, "Are you having some regrets now?"

Uryuu drew and released a long, slow breath.

"No, I don't have any regrets. You?"

"Hell no. We made a choice and did what we wanted. We're both adults. It's fine, right?"

Uryuu winced inwardly at the image of Ryuuken's disapproving face that popped into his head.

"Yeah, it's fine," he agreed.

"Good," Renji chuckled, giving him a lopsided grin, "cause if you liked that, I've got more where that came from."

Hot, rough lips found the frowning quincy's and Renji dragged him back down, sliding a hand down to capture their morning erections.

"Mmph, do you ever stop?" Uryuu complained, trying to push away, "If you'll recall, there's a lot going on here. Ichigo is still in trouble, and…"

"And he's probably still sleeping if your loud voice didn't wake him up yet," the redhead teased.

"Get off me! I need a shower. Ugh, you do too. Now, stop it!" Uryuu snapped, shoving him away.

He climbed out of the bed and crashed unceremoniously to the floor, his head spinning wickedly as he looked up at the ceiling and Renji's concerned face peeked over the edge of the bed at him.

"Are you all right, there?" he asked.

"Oh, fine," Uryuu answered sarcastically, "I was just admiring the ceiling. You're in my way."

"Man, you wake up grumpy, don't you?" the redhead snickered, climbing off the bed and tugging the groaning quincy to his feet, "C'mon, let's go take that shower."

"I can take a shower by myself," the quincy argued stubbornly.

"Aw c'mon, you're barely on your feet. Since it's mostly my fault, the least I can do is be a gentleman and scrub your backside for you."

"Oh, _now_ you say you want to be a gentleman, huh?"

"Okay, maybe I just wanna see you naked s'more. Can you really blame me? You're fucking beautiful!"

Uryuu's face melted instantly into a look so surprised and unexpectedly vulnerable that all levity left the redhead and Renji stared wordlessly as the quincy struggled for something to say.

"Y-you think that I'm…?" he managed finally.

"You're beautiful," Renji repeated with a perfectly serious tone as he slid his arms around Uryuu and planted a long, tender kiss on his mouth, "Now, whaddya say? Can I take a shower with you?"

"Yeah, okay," the quincy answered dazedly, "It's fine."

 _My father is definitely, absolutely going to kill me for this, and I can't have a single regret,_ Uryuu mused as he let himself be backed towards the bathroom with Renji's hot, red mouth attacking his all of the way, _Yes, Renji is a shinigami, but not all shinigamis are like the ones who hurt our family and killed Souken._

Uryuu waited silently, watching as Renji turned on the shower, then stepped in, the dark markings on his back moving hypnotically. The redhead turned back and extended a hand and Uryuu didn't hesitate this time. He stepped in under the hot spray and curled into Renji's arms, meeting his flushed lips again, then he sank into that blazing mouth for a longer exploration.

 _He called me beautiful, and maybe in a way, I am. I'm pale and more fragile looking, as the quincies tend to be. Renji is beautiful in a more feral way…tall and sturdy with striking red and black over golden tanned skin. Everything about him exudes strength, which makes sense when you consider where he came from._

 _We're about as different as two souls could be, and yet, who we love and what we protect are the same. And that's why this is…_

His thoughts were swept away suddenly and the red-headed warrior moved forward, pushing him back against the water slicked wall of the shower and lifting him. Uryuu's slim legs wrapped around Renji's waist tightly while the redhead lowered him slowly onto his thick erection. The quincy's fingers curled into the long, wild strands of autumn colored hair and pulled, eliciting a deep, rumbling growl in the shinigami's proud chest. And for the next several, breathtaking minutes, all thoughts of their troubles, their worries about Ichigo, their many differences and who would approve or disapprove, all disappeared amongst the storm of their unleashed passions.

 _I love that Renji is so many things that I'm not. I love that we're different in most ways, but the same in all of the ways that mattered. I don't know why it took so long for me to see all of this. Renji and I have trained alongside each other for awhile now. I should have become aware sooner, but however long it took, I'm glad we're here now._

 _No matter what Ryuuken thinks of this, I know that it's right._

Uryuu felt himself reaching the ends of his endurance and he gave in with a quaking sigh as Renji growled and began his own release.

"I love you."

 _Damn it!_

 _I said it out loud!_ Uryuu scolded himself, _There's no way we're ready for…_

"Love you too," Renji grunted, holding the slighter man's bottom firmly as the two gave in to a barrage of finishing kisses.

 _Maybe it's okay to just say it. It's the truth, after all. My father would complain that giving myself to a shinigami was a weakness, but I don't feel weak in Renji's arms. Right now? I feel like nothing in the three worlds can stand against us. Whatever rises up against us…is going to go crashing down again!_


End file.
